Rubic's Cube
by TittyKickers
Summary: Formerly Epoch! She asked one small favor, to be like them. After battling the darkness of her human life, Bella will take down those who destroyed her humanity one by one. When the colors match up, she always wins.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all characters related to Twilight.

I would have to say that I'm one lucky chic here in the Twilight world of fan fiction. I have the pleasure of having an awesome beta and a first class pre-reader. My beta *sighs*, opened my eyes to the world of commas instead of semi-colons *snorts*. Heavyinfinity, girl…your just plain freakin' awesome! *virtual hugs* My pre-reader, VampChick76…thanks for makin' sure that everything is flowin' right from the start. I hope ya still love me? *winks*

About the reviews…do exactly as my momma said. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Constructive criticism is accepted, it makes for a better author. Bashing and name calling…is just not kosher. Any reference to The Major or The God of War is credited to IdreamofEddy. She came up with the characterizations and I could squeeze her for it. That is some yummy and delicious Jasper.

"She won't remember us in twenty years. Her mind is like a sieve. She'll have moved on and have a husband, a family, and she will grow old and pass on," Edward stated.

I was silently brooding in anger. He was talking about Bella and how he wanted her to stay human. That's when I realized that he had never had any intentions of changing her. The more she wanted to spend eternity with him, the more he pushed to keep her human.

"Edward, you can't do this to her. You are taking her choices away from her," Esme said softly.

"Esme, I am doing no such thing. She shouldn't have walked into our world. I let this get too far; I should have listened to Rose and Jasper," He replied, referring to months ago when we said she was a threat to our family.

Did I feel that way now? No. To me, it was refreshing that Bella had come into our life. I had become more selfish in my nature because of Bella. Would I willingly admit that to Edward? No. When she walked over the threshold of our home, I basked in her emotions.

"Edward, is this is best for her or best for you?" I asked. I already knew his answer but I wanted the family to hear it.

"It's what is best for _all_ of us," He said pacing back and forth. He stressed the word "all", but his emotions told a different story. He was silently telling me that this was my fault because I'm the one who snapped my jaws at the smell of a drop of blood. I felt guilty enough for trying to attack Bella, but Edwards behavior was becoming a problem as well. He was becoming even more controlling; not just with Bella, but with the family also.

"If you have something to say to me Edward, just say it…" I said, while looking him in the eyes. This was a dangerous game of cat and mouse for him. He knew my past and he knew not to fuck with me. The determination that was flooding out of him should have put me on my knees. He was trying to get me to fear him, well his emotions at least. I've battled newborns giving off more than he was right now. After decades of living together, he should not be testing my limits. I knew right then, I was going to be testing his in a matter of moments.

"You are our weakest link. You can't control yourself and every time you slip we have to leave. I'm tired of having to bend to your needs. I can't have your…" he didn't get to finish. I had him up against the wall within a nanosecond. The plaster was crumbling under the force I expelled.

"Would you like to finish that sentence? You can't have what, Edward? Finish it…" I growled.

I was seething with anger. I wanted him to finish that sentence so I could have my way with him. This battle has been a long time coming over the decades. It was a constant struggle for me and my thirst; that I will admit. But, this was by no means all my fault.

"You aren't wanted here in this coven anymore. It's what every one of us is thinking. I'm just the one who has the guts to say it," He said with a fire burning in his eyes. A new anger had flared up from somewhere. "You were a human drinker and all of a sudden you and Alice show up on our doorstep, claiming that you wanted to be part of this coven. I've had enough with taking in the strays, Bella included."

The rumble in my chest told him he was treading in dangerous waters. His demeanor changed all of a sudden. He went from a compassionate person to someone who nobody recognized. His emotions were all over the place; anger, rage, sadness and guilt. They were all cycling so fast that I could barely keep up; it was like being around Bella again. Something was strange with his emotions.

"Your emotions are telling me differently. You're brooding inside because you have to let your mate go. You're using my weakness as your escape," I was calling him out on his suspicious emotions.

"Jasper, let Edward go." Alice said.

With one final shove, I released Edward. I turned to the rest of my family who had been silent through the whole interaction. I wanted to hear from each one of them that I was not welcome in the family anymore. But, before I let them speak their minds, I had something to say that I had been holding in for some time now. If I was out, I wanted them to know exactly how I had felt.

"For someone who is supposedly the patriarch of our family, you sure as hell don't have a fuckin' thin' to say right now," I said pointedly to Carlisle. "I'm not going to express my gratitude for this family cause it's apparent that y'all feel the same as Edward does. Not one of you has said a fuckin' word. Y'all just let him run this damn coven like he actually has some sort of say. He's almost a hundred years old and he still acts like a childish seventeen year old boy," I stated while looking back over at Edward.

I watched Alice's eyes become unfocused from my peripheral vision. Someone had made a decision that affected our future. I wasn't worried about it; she would tell me eventually.

"Jasper, I don't think you understand what you are saying…" Carlisle trailed off. "I stand by the choices that we have made as a family. Yes, you may feel the disappointment when you have slipped, but we don't love you any less. You are still my son in every way. Neither, Esme nor I want you to leave." He spoke quietly. Esme agreed with a small nod towards me.

"Bro, come on now. You know you are always welcome in this family. There is no doubt you are a Cullen. I don't blame you for your slips. It's natural, we are vampires." Emmett chuckled. Leave it to Emmett to make light of the situation, but closed doors he was a very sentimental being. "Rosie and I want you to stay."

"I can't believe this…" Edward screamed. "All of a sudden you are faced with the wrath of 'The God of War' and you bow down like a bunch of pansies!." He sounded exasperated. "Now who's making the choices for this coven?" he asked.

"Son that is enough. We have made our decisions and we want Jasper to stay. He is just as much our son as he is your brother," Carlisle said firmly. I groaned; this was becoming my own personal hell. The emotions swirling around the room were astronomical. I had to get out of here and fast before I lost it. I needed a break from it all.

"Jaz, would you like to go for a run with me?" Alice asked breaking me out of my inner misery.

"I'm not finished here!" Edward screamed. That was the final straw for me. The anger that was flowing off of him was changing my temperament. My posture straightened, my shoulders squared, and I strode purposefully across the room to where he was. He wanted 'The God of War', he was going to get him. My instincts took over and my emotions took a seat on the back burner. My focus had become the threat to my family. Edward's appendages were fair game now. His head would be the first to go.

"You don't want to do that Jasper. Carlisle will never forgive you," Edward taunted. He had heard my thoughts but I was to the point where I didn't care.

"He can always fuse you back together. I don't give a fuckin' shit what anyone thinks right now. You have become a threat to my family; and I deal with threats accordingly." The Major was coming out to play. I was completely in strategy mode; my opponent must be dealt with. "If you have threats you want to make…" I looked over at Alice. She gave me a small nod which gave me the conformation that everything would work out okay. "You better make good on your promises. I don't break mine."

In less time than it took to blink, I had Edward screaming in pain. He writhed on the floor, begging me to release the emotional hold on him. He didn't know that I had been in the woods hunting that day when he took Bella to talk to her. In my mind, I flashed back to the emotions that were coming off Bella when he said that he didn't love her anymore. I wanted Edward to feel exactly what he was doing to her. She deserved that much.

"You are playin' a very dangerous game, little boy," I said in a commanding tone. "The emotions that you are feeling now are just a taste of what Bella is feelin'. I was there that day you took her in the woods and left her for dead. You left her there feelin' desperate to belong somewhere." A odd sensation in my chest stopped me dead in my tracks. "Bella…" I whispered.

The rumble of her truck coming up the driveway alerted us to her presence. Why was she coming back here when Edward told her we were leaving? Surely, she had to believe we were gone already. Everyone stood stoic; nobody had expected her to actually show up. We had decided that we would stay behind for a few more days to monitor the threat of Victoria. We started the rumors of our absence at school and work. As far as the town knew, we had a family emergency out of the country so we didn't expect anyone to show up at our house.

I could feel her confusion coming in from outside. She was curious as to why we hadn't left yet. I could hear her heartbeat rapidly increase and her breathing had become labored as her panic started to set in. The squeak produced by her vehicle door told us that she had made the decision to come inside. All of a sudden, I felt a burst of determination coming from her. She had something to say and she sure as hell was going to say it now. The crunching of gravel under her feet was like the seconds on a clock. Tick, tick, tick…then there was nothing. A very timid knock on the door scared the living shit out of everyone. We actually jumped. I looked at Alice again, silently asking if this is what she saw. She shook her head no rapidly.

"I'll get it," Emmett said skipping down the entryway. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Emmett to skip-to-my-loo in a time like this.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" I heard him ask her.

"I thought you were leaving. At least that is what Fuckward told me." I turned slowly towards the entryway. Bella and Emmett were heading toward us. A fierce look on Bella's face told me this was not going to be good. There was so much hatred rolling off of her, that I was down on my knees in a matter of seconds.

"I think we should leave," Carlisle stated firmly.

"No, I think you should stay for this conversation," Bella piped in. "I have something that I want to say to each and every one of you." If I thought vampires should be feared by humans, I was wrong. I actually feared this human. "First, I would like to speak to Jasper privately," she said while looking directly in my eyes. I was in trouble.

"No, Bella. You will do no such thing," Edward commanded. In response, Bella huffed.

"I don't think you are remembering clearly, Fuckward. I was there the day you told me that you didn't love me anymore. I was there the day that you clearly broke it off with me. You have no say anymore," she said with an evil smirk on her face. I was laughing on the inside for the little term of endearment she was using. When had she become so feisty? She never back talked to him. She shrunk in his presence, letting him make all the decisions for her. I sent out a wave of pride at her. She sent back her courage. I was impressed.

Over the last few months Bella and I would have silent conversations with our emotions. It was a little game we had developed since Edward had never let us become close. I wasn't expecting her to even play. I would throw her some happiness and she would counter with sadness. She would throw out curiosity and I would give her mischief right back. I never took it to the extent that I had to manipulate her emotions, she rapid cycled enough. One night while Alice and I were hunting, she questioned me about it. I told her that I knew the real Bella. Alice just giggled.

"Darlin' why don't you say what you need to the family first. We can talk afterwards. I promise." Edward growled at my term of endearment. I growled right back. I wanted to see how this was all going to go down. I didn't want to miss an instant of the new Bella. The look in Bella's eyes said that she was grateful for my suggestion.

"Okay. Where to begin…" she looked thoughtful. "I'm going to go down the line with each of you."

"Carlisle, you have always been a second father to me. For that, I'm grateful and I love you," She said to our father. "You are compassionate and kind…" she trailed off. The tears were beginning to form in her eyes. I shoved some courage back her way, realizing she needed to get all of this off her chest. "Thanks Jasper," she whispered. She cleared her throat and continued.

"Again, you are compassionate and kind; accepting me into this family like I was your own daughter. When you decide to leave, just do me one favor?" she asked, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Carlisle nodded in response. "Make sure you are the one to make decisions for your family. Don't let others make those decisions for you." I stared at her in shock. She was going to pick my family apart. She turned to Esme.

"Esme, you are my mother in every sense. You have been more of a mom to me than my own. Your gentleness and love for your family is unsurpassed. I have never seen someone love as much as you do. Your forgiving nature makes it easy to admit mistakes. A favor also?" Esme smiled. "When mistakes are made, make sure that there is an acceptable punishment. People are quick to take advantage of a good heart."

Bella was struggling with her emotions. It was like someone was shooting a machine gun, rapidly firing; never letting go of the trigger. She was becoming unstable and losing it quickly. I sent her some happiness and she sent back despair. She didn't want her family to leave; she wanted us for eternity.

"Rosalie…I don't even know where to begin. I know that you saw me as a threat to your family. I know that you think that I was chose wrong when I decided that I wanted an eternity with Edward. I am grateful for your loyalty. I know you were just trying to protect everyone involved; that I understand. Regardless what you feel for me, just know that I always thought of you as a friend."

Rosalie would never openly admit that she thought of Bella as a friend, but her emotions were giving her away, she glared at me when I shot her a pointed glance. "May I ask a favor?" Rosalie nodded. "I know you long for the things that I have as a human, but you have to let people make their own choices. Keep this in mind when you start spewing on about humanity. And remember, you didn't give Emmett a choice." Everyone in the room stared at Bella in shock. Nobody had ever mouthed off to Rose and got away with it.

"Emmett..." Bella giggled. "I love you. I'm going to miss you and your childish banter. Even when the situation didn't call for a joke, you always had one waiting on the tip of your tongue. Your ferocity when something needs to be protected is…" she stopped as though she was trying to put her thoughts back together. "…Um, I can't think of how to describe it." We all laughed at her loss for words, and the tension in the air dissipated a little. "I need a favor from you as well. Would you please take down a bear for me? After all, my eternity is no longer that…I will always be human."

All of a sudden I felt some mischief come from Bella. I had a feeling she was up to something. Whatever it was, I had a feeling it was going to be drastic and change all of our futures. When did Bella become such a good actress? Her face showed sadness but her emotions were saying something totally different.

"Alice, you and your evil pixie ways…" she thought for a moment. " You are my best friend; my sister. As much as I hate shopping, you will always be rated high in my own fashion book. I can't thank you enough for the sisterly bond we have created. You know my decisions have already been made for me, so my eternity as your sister is no longer an option. I will always think of how you wanted to play dress up with me. A favor, sis?" Alice squealed in delight after seeing Bella's decision. "Thanks." Bella muttered under her breath.

"Wait a minute," Emmett butted in. "How come we don't get to know what you asked Alice?" he questioned.

"I decided that when I go to college, I'm going to call her to come and replace my wardrobe." she replied.

Bella straight face lied to Emmett. Alice clearly knew something that Bella had decided, but she wasn't saying a peep. Bella looked at Alice, asking for a silent conformation. Alice just nodded. Bella's emotions had been cycling so rapidly, that when they came to an abrupt halt, I questioned my own ability. Finally, I felt Bella experience relief. What the hell was going on?

"Fuckward?" Bella growled. She actually growled at him. I started laughing because it was quite comical to watch Edwards face.

"Bella…" He trailed off as she put her hand up to stop him from saying anything more.

"When I told you that I loved you, I meant it. When I said that I wanted an eternity with you, I meant it. When I said that you could have my soul because I didn't want it, I meant it. I meant everything that I said to you. You on the other hand, are a controlling, manipulative, and childish asshole. You will always be stuck in a seventeen year old mind frame. I pity you actually, because when you do find your mate you are going to have your head so far stuck up your ass that you won't realize it." Bella's anger was on the rise and I was not going to do anything about it. He deserved everything that she gave him.

"Don't stand there like you're actually surprised…" She was angry and my anger was on the rise again too. "I know about the whole mate thing. I was never your mate and you knew it. My blood called to you and my mind was intriguing because you couldn't read it. One thing you are right about though…" That smirk was back and the evil glint in her eyes said it all. "It _will_ be like _you_ never existed."

There was a deep intake of breath from across the room. Everyone just stood there, not saying a word. With those last seven words, Bella went from an innocent child to a woman. She had just shoved Edward's words right back at him. He stood there looking like a deer in headlights. The emotional climate in the room was becoming overbearing again. I scanned the room quickly; Esme looked appalled, Carlisle looked hurt, Rose was scowling, Emmett was shaking and Alice just had a smile on her face. I needed to defuse the situation.

"Darlin', why don't we go have that chat now?" I suggested, turning back to Bella.

"Sure. Do you mind if I hop on?" She smiled.

"Nope, not at all Darlin'," I replied. She ran as fast as she could and jumped straight onto my back. I caught her with ease. Excitement flowed from her as I took my first steps. I knew that she had done this with Edward many times over, but I had never felt excitement come from her like this about it. This was a new journey for the both of us, it showed just how much she trusted me. Edward came out of his stupor and stepped in front of me, so I growled at him.

"Fuckward, I suggest you move or the Major will come out and play." Bella spoke with authority. I chuckled at her assertiveness.

"How do you know about the Major, Bella?" Edward asked, glaring at me.

"There are a lot of things I know, and plenty you don't know," she said, tapping her temple.

"Darlin', that's enough cockiness. I'm about ready to lose my cool if you don't stop," I drawled out. Bella giggled in response. She was throwing off happiness in buckets and she knew it was affecting my ability. "Bella…" I trailed off.

"Fine, I'll stop. Let's go, Cowboy." Bella smirked while looking evilly at Edward. Her childish banter was going to get us all in trouble. She dug her heels into my sides and pretended she was actually riding a horse. Everyone in the room was in hysterics, except for Edward. He was brooding in self-loathing. I took another step towards Edward and shoved him shoulder to shoulder as I walked past.

"Jasper, that wasn't nice," Bella scolded me.

"Neither is the little act you're puttin' on. Besides, he deserves a hell of a lot more than what either you or I have given him tonight," I whispered back, knowing well enough that Edward had heard me.

With one last step off the porch, we were off into the night.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love the childish banter between Jasper and Bella. See that little button down there…leave a review please. Until next time people…Much love.

After 4 days of editing in between school and work, I'm finally done! Next chapter will be on its way to my beta by Friday hopefully! She is enjoying a nice vacation in the sun…while, I have snow! Oh, the irony!

Meg


	2. Beneath the Soul

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all characters related to Twilight. No infringement intended.

"History teaches us the mistakes we are going to make." ~Author Unknown

I was so lost in thought that I forgot that Bella was actually riding on my back and jumped straight over the river on the property.

"Shit, Jasper!" Bella screamed.

With a soft thud, I came to an abrupt halt on the other side of the river.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot that you were attached to me. I'm not used to having humans ride on my back…" I looked at her with an apology in my eyes.

"Jasper, its fine. That was totally fucking awesome! Fuckward would have never done something like that with me. He always thought I was too fragile. When can we do it again?" she asked me. I had the distinct impression that she trying to make me feel better about my mistake.

"Darlin', what is it with all these cuss words in the last hour?" I looked at her quizzically. She just laughed.

"Jasper, there are a lot of things you don't know about me since we have never really had the chance to get to know each other. It's a pity actually, you're part of the family too," she replied solemnly.

"Darlin', as much as I would love to agree with you, I have to agree with Edward on this matter. Spending time with me is dangerous given my upbringing," I replied gently. I knew how she felt about the subject with the confrontation from the house earlier.

"Hop on, again," I instructed her. "We are still not far enough out of hearing range from the rest of the family." She jumped on and I hauled ass, eager to put more distance between us and the family. This was a private conversation and I didn't want anyone to overhear. It's not that I didn't trust my family, but I just didn't trust Edward.

After another ten minutes of running, I slowed to a human pace. I wanted to show Bella where I went when I was struggling within myself. When I needed to center myself, I came here to this spot just south of the boundary line with the Quileute tribe.

"Jasper, where are we?" Bella asked softly.

"This is where I find my solitude. When I need to get my thoughts and feelings together, this is where I come." I explained.

"It's beautiful here. I can see why you would get some sort of peace from the emotional turmoil," she said tenderly.

"Yeah…" I responded, becoming suddenly aware that I didn't know what to say next.

We stood there overlooking The Olympic National Forest. The silence was a pleasant contrast to the chaos that was back at the house.

"Jasper?" Bella probed.

"Hmm," I responded.

"I don't blame you for what happened at my birthday party. I just wanted you to know that," she said quietly.

"Thank you for sayin' that. It is very much appreciated." I wanted to believe the sincerity of her words but I just couldn't. I couldn't understand how she had forgiven me so easily for my threat on her life.

Again, the silence ensued. It was so peaceful looking out into the forest. Bella's steady heartbeat was soothing to my shattered soul. It was one of those times that I wished I was human again. Over the years my gift had become a burden. I had gotten tired of feeling everything and nothing at the same time. I couldn't differentiate between the emotions of others and my own anymore. My eternity had become my own personal hell.

I fought every day to control my thirst; sometimes even hunting two or more times a day once Bella had become a regular visitor to our home. Here we stood though, mere inches from each other and there was nothing. No thirst, no burn, and nothing but the blissful absence of bloodlust. I wondered to myself why I wasn't feeling the bloodlust so close to her.

"Jasper, I wanted to talk to you about something," Bella finally said, breaking the silence. "I really wanted to ask what your past was like. I know Rosalie's, but Edward never explained to me about yours. He said it was too gruesome for me to know," It wasn't a surprise to me that she didn't know about my history. I had figured a long time ago that Edward would never tell her about my past.

"Bella, I have never been one to shy away from my past. If ya wanted to know, ya could have just asked," I stated.

"With Edward, I never really had the chance. I'm asking now though," she answered quickly.

"Darlin', where would ya like me to start…" I trailed off.

"Start at the beginning. I'm curious about you as a human, not as a vampire."

We walked over to a huge boulder that was sitting on the edge of a cliff, and sat down. I explained to her that most of my human memories had come from research I had done over the years. Then, I told her about Maria and the Southern wars, explaining that my role was to train the newborns.

Eventually, I had come to the story about Peter and Charlotte. Bella's interest peaked as I described the people who were my first family after my change.

"Where are Peter and Charlotte now?" she asked.

"Galveston, Texas," I answered promptly. "They were nomads most of their life until they decided to finally settle down in one place."

"That's where you were changed though. Why would they want to go back there?" she questioned, radiating curiosity.

"Peter is actually from the area. That is where I found and sired him," I replied.

"So, returned to his roots," she said, nodding her head. "Isn't that something that you have thought about doing? Clearly, this lifestyle is a struggle for you," she said stating the obvious. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think that being a 'vegetarian' really suits you. You're the Major, for Christ's sake."

"Bella, I'm not like that anymore," pausing as I tried to search for the right words to explain why I didn't live like Peter and Char. "For almost a century, it was easy for me give into impulse. Naturally for us, human blood is our food source but with the heightened emotions, it becomes that much more tempting," I paused again, struggling to find the words. "When fear is present in a human, the adrenaline enriches the smell of the blood. It makes the prey much more attractive. What I felt from each of my prey, it became disturbin' when I lived that life. As time went on, the more I would fall victim to my own depression. " I explained.

"You don't see me as prey, do you?" she questioned me.

"Naturally I should, but no, Bella I don't. I apologize Darlin'," I didn't mean for her to feel as though I was directing any of this specifically towards her. "When I met Alice, she told me there was a different way of life. She explained to me about the Cullens and their 'vegetarian' diet." I continued on, lost in my explanation. "When we finally found them, I knew that this was the change in my life I was lookin' for. This was a way for me to not feel the emotions of my prey. It was rough at first, but after a few decades it became easier. Now, don't get me wrong Darlin' I do slip up from time to time…" I glanced at her from the peripheral vision and barred my teeth.

"Jasper, that was really inconsiderate of you since I'm still human…" she giggled. "But not for long…" she whispered, lost in her thoughts.

I was becoming increasingly worried that she was going to do something drastic so she could spend an eternity with Edward. I could see beyond this little act that she put up today, and knew she was hurt. I could feel her pain and longing.

"It's nothing you need to worry about. Maybe I'll see you in another hundred years or so," she joked playfully. "About Peter and Charlotte, do you think that maybe I could meet them?" she asked innocently. I felt her curiosity spike again.

"Why would you want to meet them? They are human drinkers after all."

I had subconsciously inched my way back to Bella. I would regret for the rest of my existence that I had almost ended her life, all I wanted to do now was protect her. The thought of her meeting Peter and Char was preposterous right now.

"Jasper, did I fear the Cullens when I found out what they were?" she asked me.

"I am a Cullen, Bella. Ya talk as though we are part of ya past," I wanted to know what she was thinking and for once I wanted Edward to be able to read her mind. She was clearly planning something and her interest in Peter and Char it had me concerned.

"You are not a Cullen, Jasper. You are a Whitlock, plain and simple. You may have been with them for decades and you wear that crest…" she said while pointing to my wrist. "But you are and always have been a Whitlock." she stated. Normally, I considered myself a Whitlock as part of my past; I was a Cullen now. Bella was stirring up feelings and emotions that I had buried for decades. The monster inside me which had raged at Edward tonight was taking me back to my past. I stood there staring at her like she had just grown another head.

"Bella, you don't know what you're saying about me…" Frustrated at her accusations, I turned and looked back out into the distance. "I've tried for decades to change myself. During the Southern Wars, I was a Whitlock. Then, I found a different way of life. For more than a decade, I felt nothing. I was wandering around like I was some sort of lost puppy. I met Alice and things changed for me. The day I showed up here at the Cullen's doorstep was the day I finally found acceptance within myself," I stated as I continued to look far off into the distance.

"Apparently, you haven't found that acceptance yet." Bella pointed out. "We are a lot alike, you know. I've been stumbling through life trying to find out exactly where I belong, for years actually…" she trailed off, lost in thought again. "I found Edward and knew this is what I was meant to be. Really, this has nothing to do with Edward anymore, he's beside the point," she said waving her hand dismissively. "My priority now is my change and how it is going to happen."

As I listened to her talk about how she never really knew where she belonged, I realized I was in the same situation. Did I really belong with the Cullens? I could see where Bella was coming from and how we were so much alike. Over the years, I had often suppressed the urge to leave the Cullens. It was lack of freedom of choice that caused these urges, but I can't really complain about it since I made the choice to follow Alice to learn a different life. Now looking back, I realize I didn't have much control with the Cullen's; the decisions had always been made for me.

Bella had brought up very valid points in her speech about me. The animal that raged inside tonight had shown me that I had never really let go of my prior life. I may have become complacent in my decades with the Cullens, but the battle with Edward had brought everything back; memory after memory had rushed over me. In the Southern Wars, I protected territory. In this life, I protected my family.

"What's got you so deep in thought?" Bella asked.

"Why did it have to be a human to point out the obvious?" I countered.

"I'm not pointing out the obvious, just the truth. I see who you are for who you are. Does that make sense?" She asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Not really," I replied.

"Let me put it this way then…" she trailed off. She rose from her position on the boulder and walked until she was mere inches from me. "I want you to understand something. You are who you are because of your past. You can't change it; you can only look back and reflect. In your past, there were choices that you had to make to ensure your survival. When Peter and Charlotte came back for you all those years ago, you were the one who made the choice to leave, regardless of the consequences. You have changed over the decades, but deep down that person is still inside you. Fancy clothes, flashy cars and motorcycles and money don't make you," she said as she stepped in front of me. Her sudden movements made me gaze down at her. "You can hide behind the materialistic things but deep down you will always be you. Whether you stay 'vegetarian' or return to your roots, you will always be Jasper Whitlock."

I sighed in defeat. Bella hit the nail right on the head. For so long, I hid behind being a 'vegetarian', scolding myself when I slipped and living with the disappointment of my family. I lived in a world where I was only pretending to be who I was. The animal inside me raged tonight, giving me a taste of what I was missing. I had accepted who I was in the South…, a demon, a monster, but most of all a Whitlock. For decades I hid behind the money, cars, clothes and vegetarianism. I was just pretending, not living for myself.

"What about you, Darlin'?" I asked, looking down at her. "You're hiding behind this silly little façade…" I stopped because I didn't really know how to explain the Bella that I saw with Edward, compared to the Bella I saw tonight.

"I did what I had to do to be accepted. If it meant bending to everyone else's expectations, then that is what I had to do," she said grabbing my hand tightly in hers.

"Why though?" I interrogated her, unable to imagine the rationality behind her behavior.

"For once in my life, I finally found a place where I wasn't stumbling through life," she chuckled. "Yes, I'm human and I find myself tripping over thin air, but otherwise I finally found where I belong," she paused for a moment collecting her thoughts. "I found a family, but knowing now that Edward had no intentions of changing me, I'm back at square one again," she said thoughtfully. "I also wanted to tell you that Alice saw what was going to happen at my party. No one else knew, she deliberately blocked Edward and called me shortly after Edward had made the decision to leave, leaving her phone on for me to hear what Edward said."

"Is that what she was shaking her head so vehemently about?" I asked quickly. The questions were piling up, but it seemed as though she was willing to give answers, so I prioritized my queries.

"Yes, and also because I had made decisions that affected my future. If you're thinking that it is Edward, then you're mistaken," she said in a teasing tone, her emotions becoming excited as she spoke.

"Whose future are we talkin' about here Darlin'?" I cocked my eyebrow at her.

"Everyone's," she whispered. She embraced me tightly with as much strength as she could muster. Her warmth seeped through my granite skin, soothing my soul. It amazed me how much this human could trust me after I had almost killed her.

"Come on, Cowboy. You may have eternity, but I only have until eleven to make it home," Bella urged me on. I lightly grabbed her arm and swung her onto my back. I walked at a human pace because I wanted to enjoy the time I had with her. It also gave me time to deliberate on exactly what she was planning without the intrusion of Edward. Edward…I still wanted to dismember him limb from limb. The Major was roaring inside, rattling the cage I had constructed so carefully through the decades.

"Darlin', how have ya become so comfortable with me?" I stopped suddenly, wondering how everything had changed so quickly.

"Carlisle has this theory is that you can absorb the feeling of the bloodlust. I had to test that theory, and if you're thinking it was that stupid paper cut, you're wrong. That was a complete accident," she explained. "While Carlisle was stitching me up, we talked about a lot of things. The one subject that was relevant to this was the emotional component of bloodlust. When you're in such close proximity to everyone you are able to absorb their bloodlust too. Again, this is just his theory. I am Edward's singer, therefore, his bloodlust is going to be even stronger, throwing yours into a frenzy. So tell me what have you felt?" She finished, giving me a light squeeze around the neck.

"That was a very dangerous move Darlin'," I scolded her.

"I know…" she sighed.

I wasn't going to treat her like she was a child; she clearly knew right from wrong. However, to hear her openly admit that she knew the risk she was putting herself in for the sake of an experiment, infuriated me.

"Your projecting, Jasper," she chortled, clearly not intimated by my anger.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I quickly said. "Being so close to you over the last few hours hasn't brought up any bloodlust for me at all. Which is weird…" I trailed off, completely submersed in my thoughts.

I thought about the Southern Wars and how the bloodlust that was always present. However, with the Cullens I had only struggled a few times over the decades after turning to a diet of animals. Maybe, just maybe, Carlisle was onto something. I knew I would have to sit down and discuss this theory with him.

As we walked through the tree line into the Cullens backyard, I felt the strong emotions again, and the most prevalent feeling was anger.

"Edward, how could you?" Esme asked, sounding crushed.

"We are leaving tonight, end of story," Edward replied, fury lacing his voice.

"Son, I made a promise to my daughter and I have no intentions of breaking it. We will leave when I say so and for right now we are staying," Carlisle stated firmly. "This is my family; I will protect my family, Bella included."

The snarls that were coming from the house had emphasized the fact that Edward was not getting his way. _'Bout_ _fuckin' time_, I thought.

We walked silently through the yard and made it to the back door before I stopped Bella.

"Darlin' are you sure you wanna go back in there?"

"If he dishes it out, I'll give the fucker more than he ever expected back," she replied smugly.

I gripped her hand as though it would give me some relief from the emotions that were swirling around the room. I needed peace, even just for one more moment. As we walked through the back door, every vampire in the room stopped and stared.

"Bella, move away from him. He will kill you…" Edward said, trying to pull her away from me.

"Oh can it Fuckward. If he wanted to kill me, don't you think he would have done it already?" she asked, rolling her eyes. She shrugged Edward off like he was dust on her shoulder.

"Love, I've seen his thoughts. He's manipulating your emotions…" Edward said patronizingly.

"He's not manipulating my emotions, Fuckward. I'm feeling exactly what I want to feel," she replied, giving me a slight smile as she looked me in the eyes.

"Come on, Love. This isn't you talking…"

"Why the fuck do you care? After all, I'm just a 'stray', remember?" she interrupted narrowing her eyes at him.

"That's not what I meant…" he sputtered, unable to finish before she cut him off again.

"Really?" she sneered. Her posture had straightened, her body had become rigid and the anger radiating off her almost put me on my knees again. "Explain yourself to me, and then you can do it to Jasper and Alice. What did you mean by 'strays', you piece of shit? You clearly thought that bringing me into your world was okay, despite Jasper and Rosalie's hesitation. How did I transform from being worth any risk to some lowly stray?"

Edward clearly didn't have a response. He stood there frozen, his mouth hanging open.

"That's right you mother fucker, you have nothing to say for yourself, finally. The seventeen year old boy is speechless. A measly, eighteen year old human _stray_ has shut you down. So, I strongly suggest you sit your sparkly ass down and hear what I have to say."

I rubbed small circles on her lower back to try and calm her down some.

"Darlin', you need to sit down too," I said, guiding her over to the couch. As I went to leave, she grabbed my arm and tugged very lightly on my sleeve. I looked questioningly at Alice, who had a smile on her face.

"Here's the deal," Bella began matter-of-factly. "Victoria is still after me. The Volturi want me changed because I know about your world. I have two choices, die or be changed. The choice is mine and mine alone, and I choose to be changed."

"If that's your decision, I could do it for you," Carlisle said, pulling Esme closer to him at Bella's revelation. His emotions shifted from mildly angry to happy.

"Thanks for the offer, but no. It is nothing against you or any of the family who have taken your name. I know that no matter what I choose, I will always be a Cullen in my heart. I love this family…" she trailed off.

"Bella, does this have anything to do with Peter and Char?" I asked her, replaying the conversation we had earlier in my head.

"No. Not as much as you think it does. I can see the wheels turning in your head, Jasper," she said pointing to her temple for the second time tonight. "I made this decision long ago as a second option, tonight just cemented it for me."

"I don't get it. What are you talking about Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I want to be a Whitlock too."

A/N: This is going to be short and sweet; I have to give all the thanks in the world to my lovely Beta Heavyinfinity! You rock, my love! I also have to give her the credit for changing Alice a little compared to what I had…it's brilliant! Once again, I think I'm in love with her brain…*giggles*

Has anyone figured out yet just why Alice is hiding so much from the family? Give me your thoughts on that with an awesome review. Just push that little button down there…


	3. Deadly Confessions

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"_He moved like a lightning strike - power and speed and death rolled into one._"

Jacob Black, Eclipse

"NO!" Edward roared. "You are meant to be a Cullen, not a Whitlock. Their monsters, Bella, you don't know what you're saying. He's manipulating you to think that's what you want. He's been doing it for over a century; he knew exactly what to say to you to get you to decide this," he said, while glaring at me. "You are a Cullen, not some filthy, Southern bred, human drinker." Edward was desperate for Bella to see his point of view.

I stood there stoically, just staring at Bella. Something had changed the dynamic of mine and Bella's relationship with her confession. I could hear Edward making a fuss about something in the background but I just couldn't put it together. I'm not going to say that time had come to a standstill, but it was pretty fuckin' close. As a vampire, I shouldn't be susceptible to shock, but my verbal skills became non-existent all of a sudden. I'm sure I looked like a gaping fish out of water. This is what our whole conversation boiled down to tonight? She wanted me to sire her into eternity. Was she fuckin' crazy?

"Bella, are you sure this is what you want? Jasper's control…" Carlisle began. She cut him off literally before he even finished his sentence.

"Just stop," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

I watched as Bella stood from the couch, making her way over to me. She was saying something to me, and I could see her mouth moving, but I couldn't seem to make out any of the words. She began to snap her fingers in front of my face, which brought me out of my daze.

"Jasper, are you okay?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Darlin', I was just a little taken back by your decision. May I ask why you want me to do it?"

"I don't think you're going to be satisfied with the only answer you're going to get for now .Is me saying that I trust you enough?" she said, looking down towards the floor.

I crouched down to eye level with her. I wanted her to see that I was right there with her; I wasn't going to push her away like Edward had. Regardless of my concerns, this was her choice and I wanted her to know that I believed her when she said she trusted me.

"Darlin', look at me…"

She raised her head to meet my gaze.

"I know you trust me; I can feel it and if you think that's good enough reason, then so do I," I stated firmly. "I will not take your choices away from you; you are your own individual. Make no mistake though, until you know exactly what happens during the change, I will not pierce that pretty little neck of yours." I smiled widely at her and tapped her on the nose.

As if she were a vampire already, she threw her arms around my neck. For the first time in almost a year, I took in a deep breath. Bella's scent was exquisite- morning glories and honey. While I held her, I looked around the room. Everyone was smiling except for Edward, who glowered at us, rage clearly at the forefront of his emotions. In a movement quicker than lightning, I pushed Bella behind me and crouched defensively. She squeaked at the sudden movement.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Edward…" I ground out.

The cage that I had constructed so carefully around my demon, rattled one last time before the lock sprung free.

He lunged and I countered. The resounding crack as our bodies met shattered the windows in the living room. We zigzagged throughout the living room, deflecting each other's blows as each of us tried to get the upper hand.

"You're really gettin' on my fuckin' nerves, little boy. I gave ya fair warnin' that it wasn't a good idea. Which limb would ya like to lose first?" I taunted.

"You lay one hand on Bella and I will kill you," Edward retorted.

"Tut, tut, tut…" I taunted again.

While Edward was too busy thinking about ways to kill me, I was busy gaining the advantage. In one swift move, I had Edward pinned on the floor face down with my knee in between his shoulder blades.

"I warned ya this was goin' to happen. I will make myself very clear this time. I don't take threats to my family lightly," I growled into his ear. I grabbed his left hand and yanked as hard as I could, the sound of metal breaking permeated the air. "This is for that little speech about filthy, Southern bred, human drinkers." I moved again and grabbed his right hand and pulled it off. "That is for ya stupidity and putting my family in danger. Ya wanna act like an asinine little boy, well then, ya will be treated like one. For all I care, Carlisle can take the next century fusing ya arms back on. And one last thing…, I suggest you keep ya distance from the little lady over there," I drawled out.

"Major, that's enough!" I heard someone scream.

I snapped my head, looking for the person who gave me an order. There she stood, hands on her hips glaring at me.

"Major, that is enough. I think he has learned his lesson for now." She reiterated, her brown eyes flashing with anger.

I grabbed Edward by the scruff of his neck and lifted him to his knees, holding him in place. For once, he needed to face the family he put in danger as a man and not some petulant little child. Bella stalked over and mere inches from his face.

"I told you that you didn't want The Major to come out to play," she ground out. "Next time, I won't protect you and it will be your head that gets removed. Then, I will light the pyre that sends your ass straight to hell," she finished, radiating anger. Edward stiffened at her last comment.

"Bella…" Edward pleaded. "You don't mean that, love. I only thought it would be better if we left. You could live a normal human life. I love you," he finished.

"Love?" she screeched. "You call what you did to me love? You left me in the woods to die, Edward," she whimpered. "You left me to fucking die," she repeated, leaning into him as she spoke in his ear, her voice barely above a whisper. Looking straight into my eyes, she threatened him one more time. "I keep the promises I make, and next time I will let you _die_." The lethal quality her voice, literally sent shivers down my spine.

"Badass, Bells," Emmett said with a smirk, his dimples making an appearance.

She straightened her little 5'4" frame, as if she never made that threat, turned, and stalked off out the front door. With the sound of her revving engine becoming more distant, I didn't know when I would see Bella again.

It was three days before we had saw Bella again. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to sit down and talk to Carlisle about her change. He agreed with me that it would be in her best interest to resolve some of these issues with Edward before she changed. He had explained to me that with the four vampires he changed, Rosalie was the most unstable. She had retained most of her human memories and with that came the animosity she brought into this life. She became vengeful towards her attackers and sought them out one by one, ending their lives with no mercy, just as they attempted to do with her.

Carlisle and I also discussed my bloodlust. I explained that through the century I slayed with Maria, that my bloodlust was brought on by the emotional component of our thirst from the kill, and that I was drowning in my own misery, consumed by guilt with every life I had ever taken. I hadn't discussed this very often with anyone other than Peter. I had tried over the decades to talk to Alice about it, but she always told me she already knew what I was like. None of the other Cullens wanted to talk about it either. However, Carlisle was compassionate towards me, just like a father would be, and for that I was thankful.

A timid knock on Carlisle's study broke us out of our conversation.

"Jasper, you may want to come down to the living room. Bella will be here in three minutes," Alice stated.

"I'll be just one more moment, Alice," I replied.

I politely thanked Carlisle for the time he had given me to discuss my concerns about Bella's change and also how my emotions were affected by the bloodlust. Now, it all seemed clear as to why I had struggled so much in my past compared to the Cullens.

Bella didn't even bother to knock as she made her way into the house. I felt the hurt and despair flowing off of her. She immediately ran into Esme's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bella, shhh. Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Esme asked, embracing Bella tightly.

"He's dead. Charlie…" she whispered, clinging to the only mother she had really known. "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie…" she chanted. "It was Victoria…" she spoke just barely above a whisper.

"Bella," Edward rushed over to her. "This is why the family and I had to leave. We brought danger to you and Charlie and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you to Victoria or The Volturi," he admonished.

He was scolding her like she had made a grave mistake that cost her father his life.

"Edward, that's enough. She just lost her dad for Christ's sake and you're scolding her like she's a fucking child," Rosalie said, bringing the obvious to the table.

"No, she needs to know that because of the choices she has made, someone ended up dead," he sneered back at her.

"You low-life, stupid mother fucker!" she screamed, struggling against Emmett's hold. "One minute you claim to love her and to want to protect her. Are you that fucking blind?" she ranted. "You disregarded mine and Jasper's opinion in the beginning, invited a human into our world regardless of the consequences that it would bring to our family, then, you go and blame her for her own father's death," she continued, her rage building rapidly. "I would watch your back from now on. I make good on my promises, too," she threatened him.

It quickly became a shouting match between Edward and Rosalie, neither one letting up on the insults.

"I got ten grand on Rosie; she is one fierce bitch," Emmett commented, chuckling to himself.

"ENOUGH!" I roared. Everyone stopped and stood still, just staring at me. "We need to focus on Bella's needs, not some bickering argument about whose fault this is," I chided.

I immediately went to Bella's side trying to push calm towards her. She pulled out of Esme's embrace, turned and clung to me like I was her air.

"Shhh, Darlin'." I cooed her. "You're okay now. You're safe with me," I said gently.

I felt Edward's rage building again.

"Edward, don't. Just don't," I scolded him, turning back to Bella. "Bella, do you wanna talk about it darlin'?" I asked quietly, knowing everyone in the house heard me.

"I…I just can't," she stated softly, clawing at my chest.

My battle instincts were beginning to take over and I knew that Victoria needed to be taken care of.

"Darlin'," I whispered. "I need to make a couple of phone calls…"

"Jasper, please don't leave me here," she whispered.

"Okay then Darlin'," I replied, cradling her to my chest. Her grip on my shirt was so tight that if I had been human she would have choked me. I stood and nodded to the rest of the family.

"We will be back as soon as I get these phone calls taken care of," I stated firmly, making my way towards my study.

As I walked, I was doing everything I could to calm Bella down. I didn't want to manipulate her emotions, but I didn't have a choice. She was extremely distraught and her emotions were going haywire. I couldn't keep up with how rapidly her emotions were shifting.

"Darlin', I'm goin' to set you down here on the couch, but I'll be right here. I'm not goin' anywhere," I stated firmly, sending her a wave of comfort.

I pulled my phone out my pocket and pressed "1" on speed dial. I heard the person on the other end pick up without a word.

"We will be there by sundown," he finally answered, hanging up the phone abruptly in my face.

"Well, that went as well as expected," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

I sighed in resignation and pressed "2" on my phone. This last call was going to bring the heavens down on Victoria.

"Aro speaking," the vampire at the other end stated.

"It's Major Whitlock…" I replied scathingly.

"Major, to what do we owe the pleasure?" the vampire asked gleefully.

"Forget the pleasantries, Aro; I'm callin' to collect my last debt…" I ground out.

It didn't matter now if the family heard what I had to say, I could care less. I was in full strategy mode, contemplating exactly how we were going to take Victoria down. I paced back and forth from one side of my study to the other. I was getting impatient with Aro's silence; he was really getting on my last fucking nerve.

"I want Jane, Alex, Felix and Demetri here by sundown tomorrow," I commanded.

"That can be arranged Major, but it would be good of you to remember that we don't do favors anymore," he replied, his voice becoming deadly.

"That wasn't a request for a favor, Aro; this is your repayment for my year of service," I said condescendingly. "You will do well to remember, that I don't show mercy…" I didn't give him the chance to respond as I hung up the phone quickly.

I had spent a year in The Volturi Guard, training those who were turned for their abilities as humans. In return, The Volturi granted me asylum from persecution of the Southern Wars. They had also said if I needed anything, they would do so without hesitation. Well, Aro had made it blatantly clear that this was no favor, he expected something in return. Under no circumstances would I return to the guard and he knew that.

"Jasper…" Bella said through the sniffles. "Why… do the… Volturi owe… you a favor?" she was requesting an explanation.

I sighed in resignation. I knew the time had come for my secrets to be revealed to my family, whether they wanted to hear them or not. If I finally shared my secrets, maybe I would be free of the burdens of my past.

"Darlin', why don't we take this down stairs? I'm sure you're not the only one asking that question," I explained.

I picked her up gently, cradling her to my chest, and made my way down stairs to rejoin the family again. As much as I wanted one more moment with Bella alone, I owed my family one hell of an explanation.

"What do you have to do with the Volturi?" Edward growled at me.

I gently set Bella down close to Esme, where she cradled her softly.

"I would like to start by saying that I'm truly sorry to those who think I deceived them," I said thoughtfully, pushing regret out at them. "I wish that we could have talked about this sooner, but we didn't have a reason to approach the subject," I said, glancing over at Carlisle. "Given the actions of Victoria against Charlie, everything has to come to light now before it's too late," I finished.

"Jasper is right. The secret that has been withheld is the only thing that will possibly get us through this as a family," Carlisle stated, sincerity lacing his voice. "As you all know, when I was studying in Italy, I came across the Volturi. I lived with them for longer than a couple decades. I actually lived with them for over a century…" he trailed off.

"Carlisle, Jasper, are you sure this is the best idea?" Alice asked, glancing between the both of us.

"I learned a great many things about them during my stay," he continued on, ignoring Alice's question. "And I even watched the gifted newborns train. As I watched them train, I noticed a vampire that was more lethal than anyone I had ever seen before. His precision and technique was that of an experienced fighter…" Carlisle stopped suddenly.

"You knew Jasper…" Bella whispered as shock radiated through my family, with the exception of Alice.

"Alice, you knew?" Edward asked her, his eyes narrowing as he filtered through her thoughts.

"I only knew because Jasper made the decision to tell the family while he was on the phone," she replied.

"What a shit storm this is…" Emmett commented. "Look, I don't care about what happened over a century ago. Hell, I wasn't even born yet," he chuckled. "All I know is that Bells needs to be protected until her change. What are our options, Jasper?" he asked, trying to move the conversation on.

A loud knock on the door resounded through the living room. I walked casually over to it and pulled it open. Two sets of crimson eyes stared back at me.

"Peter, Char…it's good to see ya again," I said, my Southern accent suddenly reappearing.

"Howdy, Major," Peter replied, shaking my hand.

"Jasper, how are ya doin', sweets? I've missed ya," Char greeted me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I missed ya too, and I'm as good as can be expected at the moment, darlin'," I replied, gently kissing her on the cheek.

As we made our way down the entryway, Peter's emotions were teetering between curiosity and excitement. Char's were almost the same as his. In the blink of an eye, Bella was wrapped up in Char's arms.

"Char, I can't believe you're here," Bella whispered. Her eyes looking sad, but her emotions were radiating happiness.

I held back the smirk that would be gracing my features as I watched my family take in the scene. What they didn't know, and I'm quite sure Alice hadn't said anything was that the day that Bella showed up at Peter and Char's house, I was there on vacation. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bella was more than pissed off at me. After that rant she had, I'm surprised that she even so much as said a word to me.

"Sweets, I told ya we would come. We were just waitin' on Jasper's call," Char whispered back.

"Come here sugar, how 'bout a hug for ya big brother?" Peter teased, pulling Bella out of Char's embrace.

Emmett's jealousy spiked at Peter's comment.

"Emmett, I'm not tryin' to take ya place. She is gonna be a Whitlock, after all," Peter stated, trying to sooth Emmett's emotions.

"What are these filthy, Southern bred, human drinkers here for?" Edward roared, his eyes locked on Peter and Char.

Again, it was no surprise that Edward couldn't keep his mouth shut. I growled at him, giving him fair warning that I was done with his comments.

"I suggest you shut that trap of yours, pretty boy. Wouldn't want to lose another appendage now would we?" Peter said, baring his teeth.

"Light the pyre, Jasper," Bella said sarcastically.

"Darlin', I have other plans for Edward. The pyre remains unlit for the time being," I said, grabbing her away from Peter.

"Boys, play nice. We are all under pressure here and we need everyone who is available," Esme scolded us.

"Bella, we need to talk about Charlie," I stated, my voice full of sorrow.

"I know," she replied, her tears threatening to spill over.

"Sugar, you don't have to tell us everything; we just need a general idea of what you saw," Peter said, taking over the conversation.

I ushered Bella to the couch again, giving her room to breathe as she began her story.

"I was coming home from Newton's, when I noticed Charlie's police cruiser in the driveway. I thought it was odd for him to be home so early in the day," she said, her eyes pleading with me to make her stop. "Oh, God, he was just sitting there…" she trailed off, sobs robbing her of the ability to speak. "There was a note…" she whispered.

Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she dug through her pockets. She quickly thrust the folded up paper into my hand. I opened it and scanned over it, handing it to Peter.

_Bella,_

_For the one crime you have committed, you will bring death upon your beloveds. Each has sinned, yet all in a very different manner, and all their souls shall be punished for eternity._

_Carlisle-your coven's ability to overcome our natural food source has caused you to think your coven is on a pedestal-this is Pride._

_Esme-you long for things that others have-this is Envy._

_Edward-you desire to consume more than what you are destined for-this is Gluttony._

_Emmett-you desire the flesh of your mate-this is Lust._

_Jasper-your fury hath no end-this is Anger._

_Alice-you see the future and change possible outcome for your own ends-this is Greed._

_Rosalie-your desire for beauty consumes your thoughts making you idle -this is Sloth._

_As for Chief Swan, he paid the ultimate price just for being your blood, my dear sweet Bella. Now, I have taken one of your beloveds…the rest will soon follow._

_See you in Hell…_

As Peter finished reading the note, I realized that Victoria was referring to The Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible. She was targeting us one by one, expecting our souls to be dammed for eternity.

"Major, looks like y'all are on her shit list," Peter said, pointing out the obvious.

Char brushed past me and picked up Bella.

"Come on sweets, let's draw ya a bath and get ya relaxed a bit," she drawled.

I stood, quietly following behind Char and Bella, pondering how we were going to get ourselves out of this mess alive.

A/N: Thanks to Heavyinfinity, my lovely beta who manages to make some sense of the fuckery that goes through my brain. She is wonderful…and so is her brain! This chapter is my favorite because we see a lot of things happening and we find not everyone is exactly who they seem. Push that little button down there and leave a lovely review.


	4. Truth and Deceptions

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Char's POV

"What if they can't protect me?" Bella quietly asked me, while I started up her bath.

"Ya trust Jasper enough to change ya, but ya don't trust him enough to protect ya? Bella, that doesn't make any sense," I replied as I glanced over at her. I needed her to focus on Jasper, not the other Cullens.

"I do trust him, with my life…" she said, her voice becoming shaky.

"Then what's the problem, sweets?"

"Everyone I've ever trusted or loved has been ripped away. I don't want that for the Cullens. They deserve so much more," she whispered.

"Sweets, _you_ deserve so much more. Don't ya understand that? If Jasper didn't think that ya deserved this, he would have told ya so. He doesn't do things out of pity; he only does what he believes in," I said, trying to put Bella's mind at ease.

"What if he rethinks his decision to…?" I cut her off with a wave of my hand.

"He won't. Period," I said sternly.

I could see that Bella was battling with herself internally, and that she needed the reassurance that Jasper wasn't going to back down from his decision to change her. I didn't know how to convince her that when Jasper makes a decision he doesn't change his mind.

I gently grabbed her to help her stand and undress.

"I'm goin' to leave ya to it, sweets. I'm goin' to speak with Jasper for a bit; ya just relax, ya've had a rough day," I said, walking out and closing the door.

I turned to find Jasper sitting on the bed quietly, looking very solemn and deep in thought.

"Jasper, what's got ya lookin' like ya swallowed a canary?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in question.

"I heard what she said…" he said, as he raised his eyes to meet mine. "She needs the reassurance that I will still change her; I just don't know how to explain it to her. And truthfully, I don't know who wants it more, me or her," he replied, sounding guilty.

"What do you mean 'who wants it more'?" I asked him.

"Look," he sighed. "I get the distinct feelin' that I'm missin' somethin' here. I feel like there is some deep dark secret that everyone is hidin'," he said, concern washing over his features. "All of a sudden, Bella wants me to change her, and I agree to do it, like it was second nature to me," he stopped, collecting his thoughts. "I've always put my trust in Alice to tell me what the right thing is to do, but she is becoming more and more secretive lately. It's like we are distancing ourselves from each other, and now…I just don't know what to think about her anymore," he said, glancing at a picture on the nightstand.

"Jasper, you're rambling like a human. Get to the point," I said, glaring at him.

He glimpsed back at me before continuing on.

"Peter just knows shit, and Alice isn't sayin' a peep. Edward wants to rip me apart," he said, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "Like that's gonna happen," he said, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

"Anyways, there is just a part of me that feels guilty and I wanna make it up to Bella, even though she doesn't blame me for her birthday party. She deserves so much more, just as ya said. I want this for her, but moreover for me. Am I being selfish to want this for the both of us?" he asked quietly.

"I don't think it's selfish at all, Bella knows what she wants. Com'on Jasper, ya can't seem to put two and two together right now?" I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not going to explain it to ya; you're an empath for Christ's sake. Haven't ya ever wondered why ya felt like you were just drifting along with, Alice? Ya always thought there was something or someone more out there for you," I said, my anger rising because he just couldn't seem to get it. "Alright," I sighed. "I'm goin' to lay it out on the table for ya…You and Alice are not mates," I spoke, my voice calm. Oddly enough, I felt like Rosalie at the moment, like I should be filing my nails or something.

There was a collective gasp from down stairs, and Jasper just looked at me like a deer in headlights.

"There's ya sign," I said, smacking him upside the head.

Peter and I had had this discussion many times over the decades why Alice's actions seemed so shady. She drew Jasper in with that cutesy tootsie, fun lovin' crap, taking him to a whole new level of idiocy.

Now, I just dropped a major bomb right smack dab in the middle of the Cullen's living room.

"Jasper," I said quietly. "Are ya seriously over thinkin' all this? This is what she wants and it's what ya want, too. Ya've never been one to back down from anythin' and all of a sudden you're bein' a fuckin' pansy," I stated, clearly letting my anger get the best of me. "Not once in the time Peter and I have known ya have ya ever backed down. Where's the Major I grew to know and love? He is a fighter, soldier, and protector…" I trailed off. I was trying to get a rise out of him and get him to see what we saw.

His eyes went from ocher to pitch black. The rage he was throwing off was beyond anything I had ever felt from him. In a matter of seconds, he had me pinned up against the wall, hissing at me.

"Ahhh, there he is," I sighed, as I stroked his cheek gently. In some sick and sadistic way this was a complete turn on for me. Jasper and I, would never cross that boundary, but shit that was totally hot. "Ya better go claim ya girl, Major. She needs ya right now, and I think ya need her too," I said quietly.

I watched as he quietly made his way into the bathroom. Bella shrieked at his sudden appearance, and I chuckled. _That girl was in for it now_, I thought.

"Char, are ya alright in there, doll face?" Peter asked me through the door.

"Yeah, I needed to set some stupid self-loathing vampire straight, that's all," I replied, knowing that the Major could hear me. I received a growl from inside the bathroom. I chuckled at his antics and rolled my eyes.

I heard a scuffle out in the hallway and I opened the door. Straight ahead of me I saw Peter pinning a raging Edward up against the wall.

"Doll, you've put yourself in a pickle this time. Maybe its best ya go down and talk to the family while I keep, pretty boy under control," he sneered.

APOV

As I watched Char make her way down stairs, I knew I was in heaps of trouble. With our sensitive hearing, I know every one of us heard what she said. She knew that Jasper and I weren't mates, and she knew I had deceived everyone in this family, including Edward. While I could say that I just didn't know about it, I felt that would leave me looking extremely stupid. I didn't know how else better to portray myself, though. I knew everything, but again my visions are subjective.

"Alice…" Rose seethed. "Did you forget to mention one major fucking detail?"

"Well, I may have," I said, smiling sweetly.

I had to give the performance of a lifetime right now and I knew it.

"Don't pull that shit, Alice," Char seethed. "Ya knew damn good and well that Jasper wasn't ya mate when he came into that diner in Philly," she finished.

"I had visions of Jasper…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I wasn't giving my best performance, so I decided to stretch the truth a little. "Okay, I knew Jasper wasn't my mate," I sighed. "I also knew that I had to find the Cullens, not only for my safety but his also. I knew the lifestyle would change Jasper and bring him closer to his mate," I finished.

I was weaving one tangled web of lies, and it was getting stickier by the second. I had to cover my tracks because otherwise my last secret would be exposed. I couldn't have that happen until after Bella's change. She was the key factor to our future.

"And…" Rosalie said, glaring at me.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I wasn't thinking fast enough on my feet and my edge was slipping fast. The world around me slipped away as a vision came into focus.

"It's happening," I whispered after the vision cleared.

Edward roared from above while the family stared at me in a stunned silence.

Everyone was so focused on my indiscretions, leaving Jasper and Bella completely to their own devices.

"Jasper is running on instinct right now," I said, glaring at Char.

"Oh, honey, he's just doin' what he should have done months ago. Ya know, sweets, ya should have just let it happen," Char said, looking smug. "We wouldn't be in this situation and Victoria could have been taken care of already if ya had just kept ya nose out of it," she finished, sounding snarky.

I watched horrified that someone would make an accusation like that towards me. Everyone believed in my ability to change the possible outcomes. When Bella came to do her ranting last week, I nodded and told her that subconsciously Jasper had already made the decision, but she still didn't know why. Well, now that it was out in the open that he and I weren't mates, she would finally get what she deserved. I've always been sympathetic to her, pitied her actually because she was always the 'parent', but I do honestly believe that she is finally getting what she deserves.

I was trying my best to play the part of the innocent little girl, but it wasn't working with anyone. My deception hurt them far worse than I would have imagined or my gift could have seen. My biggest deception was yet to come.

EPOV

Peter shoved me up against the wall so hard that I hissed at the impact.

"Ya better watch ya' self pretty boy, I bite almost as hard as The Major does," Peter whispered in my ear. "Ya are gonna release a monster in Jas that ain't nobody wants to deal with right now. Let him do his business and claim his mate, just as it's supposed to be," he finished with a dead calm lacing his voice.

I listened as Alice went into an explanation how she and Jasper weren't mates, how she had deliberately deceived all of us, including myself. How was she able to manipulate her visions for all these decades?

BPOV

I watched as Char made her way out of the bathroom and sighed. It had been one hell of a day for me and I truly just wanted to relax. The warmth of the water surrounded me like a blanket, a protection of sorts. I was just starting to drift off, when I heard a loud thud, followed by a hiss. Within a few seconds, the door flew open, and then slammed shut. I shrieked when I saw Jasper standing above me, staring at me like he wanted to eat me. _Oh, the irony,_ I thought to myself. His eyes were pitch black and his emotions were rolling off of him in waves. The most prominent one was rage; I knew then that I had to figure out a way to talk him down. I didn't know what had set him off, but I sure as hell wasn't scared of him.

"Jasper," I said quietly.

I wasn't about being modest anymore, and covering up in front of my mate was useless. I was trying to throw as much acceptance into the room as I could. I needed him to know that I already knew what this was about without saying words. We had to put on an act so everyone else wouldn't know that I had already known. This was about getting Alice to admit the truth, admit that she lied. She was just as deceptive as I was from the beginning; it just came to bite her in the ass before it did me.

I watched slowly as he became more receptive to me. His shoulders slumped and he started to look more relaxed.

"Jasper," I said again. "It's okay, I'm fine. I'm ready for this, and I know you are too," I stated, throwing as much calm as I could muster at him.

This is not ideally how I wanted my change to happen, but I didn't want to hold it off any longer. The threats were imminent and time was of the essence. There was a storm coming and nobody knew how bad it would be.

I stood patiently in front of Jasper, moving my hair to expose my neck.

"Jasper, please…" I begged. "I need this as much as you do," I whispered, closing my eyes.

In less than a second, I felt his cold breath at my ear; my whole body shivered in anticipation.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. Please remember me…" he whispered.

I felt his gentle kiss on my neck before the pain of his bite struck. I relinquished my hold on my human life as Jasper took three deep pulls from my neck, then; I accepted my eternal life as I felt the burn.

JPOV

I listened to her as she told me that she was ready. She was ready for an eternity with my venom flowing through her veins, not Edward's. My resolve faltered as I looked in her eyes. I watched as she arose from the bathtub, naked, no hint of a blush on her skin. She was beautiful in all her glory.

"Jasper, please…" she trailed off. "I need this just as much as you do," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.

The last shred of humanity I had within me broke as she moved her hair and showed me the creamy white skin of her neck. I took one step forward, so close to her that she shivered in anticipation.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. Please remember me…" I whispered before I placed a gentle kiss above the pulsing vein. I gently pierced her skin with my teeth and drank three deep pulls before I pushed my venom into her. Her body went limp as the venom began to spread.

I picked her up and cradled her to my chest as I walked over to my bed and gently placed her down. Again, I whispered that I was sorry, and begged her to remember me before biting each of her ankles and wrists. Although I wanted to comfort her through the pain, I walked over to the window. I watched as night fell and the stars began to twinkle. Feeling almost human for a moment, I made a wish and silently asked the heavens to keep Bella safe during the transition from her human life to her eternal one.

I hissed at the sound of Edward's movements outside the door.

I turned to watch Bella; she looked like she was sleeping. I watched as her chest rose and fell, knowing that in just three days I would never see that from her again. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't seem to regret choosing to change her.

EPOV

I listened as Bella begged Jasper to take her humanity. It was supposed to be me who took it. She was supposed to spend forever with me. My eyes fluttered closed as the memories of Bella and me over the last year filtered through my mind. The love we felt for each other was a gift that I had so carelessly taken for granted, and now, she was lying in the bed of another man, giving her eternity to someone who I had once considered my brother. My rage began to build again as I began struggling against Peter's hold.

"Don't even think 'bout it there, pretty boy," Peter said, as he shoved me back against the wall again. "If ya wanna live past tonight, ya better steer clear of Bella and Jas. She was never yours to begin with, she was always his. Now, I can't blame ya for bein' pissed off 'bout the way it happened, but ya can't change it. Ya wanna be mad at someone, be mad at the pixie down there. She is the one who deceived ya and the rest of the family," Peter finished.

I still struggled, not really listening to what Peter had to say. Though my guilt was present, my anger still rose.

"Let me go!" I roared at Peter. "It shouldn't be _him_, it should be me," I screamed, struggling against his death grip on me.

"Edward, listen to yaself, there is nothing that ya can do anymore. The change has already started and they are mates. There is nothing ya can do to prevent her change; the venom has already spread too far. This was never about what ya wanted, it was about what she wanted," Peter stated calmly. "If ya wouldn't have been so wrapped up in yaself, you could have seen that."

I gave up struggling with Peter for the moment, listening to his words sink in. He was right, this was never about me; it had always been about her. I sighed and slid down the wall.

"What do I do?" I asked him quietly.

"Ya do nothin', Edward. This isn't ya battle anymore. I can't say that ya don't have a right to be pissed, but ya can't be pissed at Bella or Jas. They have only done what fate has told them too. Ya can't blame them for that. If ya wanna question anyone's motives here, it should be Alice's," he said, loosening his grip on me. "I want ya to think about what has been said over the last few hours. I believe ya owe a few people an apology, beginning with Bella," he finished, backing away from me. "I could care less what ya do with Alice, but an apology to Bella is a good way to start," he finished.

I rose slowly and began to pace back and forth in front of Jasper's door. I could make it into that room quicker than Peter could catch me. I paused and sighed again, thinking Peter was right. I had denied Bella everything that she had ever asked for. More importantly, I had attempted denying her a family. Below me, was my family, the one that loved Bella just as much as I. They were willing to risk their lives battling Victoria, but all I could see was my own loss. I had pushed them and Bella away for my own selfish reasons.

I looked at Peter, begging him to see the torment that was battling inside me. I needed someone to understand that I didn't mean to hurt her, and that I didn't mean to drive her into my brother's waiting arms.

"Ya have to be patient, Edward. It's not something I expect ya to accept right away, but it's the truth," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I would watch out for Bella when she wakes, she's gonna be hell," he said smirking. He walked past me, heading downstairs to meet with my family.

I silently walked at a human pace back to the only place where I thought I could find some solitude, my room. I quietly opened up my window and jumped to the ground without making a sound. I didn't want to be there when Bella woke. I didn't know if that was something I could handle just yet.

Char's POV

Everyone in the room stood there listening to Peter talk some sense into Edward. If anyone could do it at this point, it was him. It's not that Peter didn't care about what he said, he just said the truth regardless if you're feelings got hurt or not.

"I'd watch out, Pixie. You're next…" I chuckled, as I watched Alice's face contort. "What? Ya didn't think we knew how to get around ya visions did ya?" I laughed.

"Char, that's not nice," Peter scolded me. "Why don't ya go check on The Major for me? I have to go and check in with the rug rats from hell to make sure everything is set up for the battle," he said, kissing me lightly on the cheek.

I sighed; I wanted to see Peter lay into Alice.

"Not now, doll face, but ya can bet it will happen. Now, go on," he said, lightly patting my ass.

I quickly kissed Peter on the cheek and walked away, glancing behind me to get a brief view of the family. In just three days' time, our lives were going to change forever. Bella would be one of us, and she would be a Whitlock rather than a Cullen.

I knocked on Jasper's door, letting him know I was coming in. If anyone could tame The Major, it would be Peter or me. I knew the drill, when I walked in, I looked at the floor while raising my palms in a submissive position. Once The Major didn't see me as a threat, I knew I would be able to talk to Jasper to make sure everything was okay.

I slowly opened the door and saw Jasper watching Bella so intently that I didn't even know if he had heard me. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment, that I turned my head away.

"She will never breathe again," he whispered.

I was shocked that Jasper's protective instincts didn't take over, feeling me as a threat to his mate. For whatever reason, he seemed as calm as he watched closely over Bella.

"I know, Jasper. It will take years for her to ever seem human again and you know what it's going to be like with a newborn around. You will have to start teaching her early on how to control her instincts and strength. It's going to take a lot of time and patience," I finished, walking over to the corner of the room.

I wanted to give him the space that he seemed to need. I felt like he was trying to take the adjustment a little at a time. I could tell that he was grieving for Bella's humanity, but he also accepted that she was going to spend an eternity being a Whitlock.

"I could have walked away from her, Char. I could have told her no, but I can't seem to regret the decision to do this to her. Here she lays silently, enduring the pain without as much as a flinch. I don't know what is goin' on." He paused, collecting his thoughts. He looked at me as he began again. "I want to comfort her, to be able to take the pain away, but I just don't know how," he finished, sadness showing in his eyes.

I nodded at him because I didn't know exactly what was happening either.

"Don't be like, pretty boy out there," I said, motioning over my shoulder. "She doesn't want to be treated like a child, Jas. She wants to be treated equally. She's not going to be this fragile little human anymore; she is going to be one of us. And by us, I mean a Whitlock, not a Cullen," I finished, watching for his reaction.

His eyes widened as if everything was finally falling into place for him. I nodded my head at him, silently answering his question.

"Ya mean…" he asked, his face showing more question.

"Yes, Jas, that is what I tried to tell ya earlier. Ya were so wrapped up in y'all's emotions that ya couldn't think straight. I had to push ya earlier to get ya to see what Peter and I saw, and I don't regret it either. It's not as though Alice was goin' to tell ya," I sneered.

"How long have ya known? I mean…that she was my mate and not Edward's?" he asked, completely ignoring my last comment.

"A while," was all I said back.

I watched as he slowly bent down to kiss her forehead. It was such a sweet gesture, and it showed that he truly did care on some level.

"Char, would you mind?" he asked, gesturing towards Bella. "I have somethin' I have to take care of…" he growled.

"Nah, sweets, I don't mind at all," I said, a smile forming on my lips.

I watched as Jasper stalked out of the room, clearly on a mission. At this point and time, I wouldn't bet on Alice.

A/N: Well, here it is! It took me a while with this chapter…total writers block! Thanks to everyone who put me on their favs and alerts! I'm so excited about that-just as much as I am about this chapter. Again, so many thanks to Heavyinfinity…I so love the encouragement you give me! Keep the reviews comin' after all they keep me motivated to continue this story.


	5. Dark Secrets

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: I'm going to give credit where credit is due. IdreamofEddy owns all reference to the God of War. Her brilliant mind came up with the darker, more animalistic side of Jasper. Hello…hotness! Anyhow, as my beta said there is way more stories out there that reference the God of War or the Major and they weren't even created in the books. I tend to find myself drawn to the darker side of things anyways.

Heavy…I think you know my brain and where I want to go with things a little too well sometimes. When I can't find the right words or find myself repeating words, you always seem to make it better! Thanks so much. You're awesome!

Char's POV

I listened as Jasper laid into Alice down stairs; he wasn't letting her get a word in edge wise and I imagined she was cowering in his presence. Chuckling at that image, I watched the clock as the second's ticked by. Night turned into day and he still kept going. I honestly didn't know if he was ever going to stop; fifty plus years of rage had all come to a head in one night. _Jesus, does he ever take a breath?_ I thought to myself before chuckling again at the lapse in my vampire mind.

I was standing at the window, watching my skin shimmer in the glow of the early morning light. It had been nearly two days since I was asked to watch Bella. Earlier that night, Jasper had finally determined that he wasn't going to get anything out of Alice, since she just kept making excuses for her actions. While Jasper and the rest of the Cullens were hunting, Peter was with our guests from the Volturi planning out the battle with Victoria. I heard Jasper and the Cullens quietly talking as they returned.

I glanced over at Bella and noticed that her eyes were open and moving rapidly back and forth, as though she were dreaming about something. Her pupils dilated and she inhaled sharply, before closing her eyes again. I had never seen this happen before in someone's change.

"Jas," I said sternly, trying to get his attention. "Jasper, you need to come up here and bring Carlisle with you!"

A moment later, Jasper and Carlisle came into the room, followed by the rest of the family, except for Edward.

"What happened to her Char? Is she okay?" Jasper pleaded, looking panicked.

"I think she is okay…" I said. "She has been the same for two days, but I looked over at her just now, and her eyes were open. They were rapidly moving back and forth like she was dreaming, then she sharply took in some air before she closed her eyes again," I finished, looking towards Carlisle for some sort of answer.

"Well…" He hesitated, clearly searching for an explanation. "I've never heard of that happening before, but I've also never seen someone go through the change so quietly," he said, looking thoughtful.

"She has always been unique, even with Edward…" Jasper trailed off, looking around for him. "Where is Edward?" he asked.

"Now is not the time, Jas. You need to focus on Bella. We need to get to the bottom of why Bella's change is happening the way it is," I replied.

Everyone's eyes went wide as Bella's body began to shudder and shake. It looked like she was having a seizure. Her eyes shot open again, the irises a deep beautiful shade of crimson. Her change was happening way more rapidly than I had ever seen before. With my perfect vision, I saw a strange shimmering shape stretching out surrounding her.

"Bella, can ya hear me, darlin'?" Jasper's face was a mask of shock.

"Jasper, get over to her NOW! It looks like her shield is beginning to go up," Carlisle yelled. "You need to get in there with her!"

In the blink of an eye, Jasper was practically breathing down her neck. I watched as Bella encased herself and Jasper in her shield.

"Use your gift, Jasper!" I screamed. "Ya have to calm her down, and get her to retract her shield!" I ordered.

As I watched, she began chanting Charlie's name over and over again and it was heart-breaking. In all the chaos we had forgotten about her father, then it dawned on me that she was using the change as an escape from grieving.

"Jasper, something is not right!" Alice screamed, flitting around the outside of Bella's shield. "She is progressing too quickly. It's supposed to be at least another day before she wakes up," she said frantically.

"Alice, what do you mean she is progressing too quickly?" Carlisle asked.

"What I mean is we are going to have a newborn on our hands in less than 24 hours. That's what I mean," Alice shrieked.

Jasper's head snapped quickly in Alice's direction, his teeth bared and a growl progressing from his throat.

"I'm going to call Eleazar to see if he has ever heard of anything like this," Carlisle stated, leaving the room quickly.

I picked up the phone and called Peter.

"She will be fine," he answered abruptly. "I told pretty boy there that she was goin' to be hell. Nobody said it was going to be easy, doll face," he said, a smirk evident in his voice.

"Peter, get ya ass back here now! I don't care about the damn Volturi there, we need you here," I said as I hung up the phone.

I had to get to the bottom of what was going on, but I would need to use the one person who I hated most in the world. Alice.

"Alice, did ya see anything earlier, before we had arrived?" I asked her, quirking my eyebrow at her.

"No, nothing. The last thing I saw was Edward leaving out his bedroom window. Before that, I didn't see anything but Jasper's choice to change Bella," she said quietly. "Nobody had made any concrete decisions, including Victoria."

I retraced my steps throughout the last two nights in my head. We met up with The Cullens, and then Bella went on a rant about how Victoria and The Volturi wanted her dead or changed. The blood that covered Bella's hands before her change…it wasn't Bella's but Charlie's. Shit! Bella had said that she had seen the aftermath of what happened with Charlie's murder, but she hadn't said anything about touching him.

"Emmett, I need ya to go to Bella's truck and see if you can find anything there," I ordered politely. He nodded, quickly heading out the door.

"Jasper, I need ya to get Bella calmed down as quickly as possible," I barked out to him.

"Alice, search your visions for the future. See if you can see what Bella is plannin'," I requested.

I quickly dialed Peter again.

"Sweets, ya need to go to Bella's house and see if ya can figure out what happened there," I said quickly. He hung up the phone before I could get any more words out.

I was snapping out orders as fast as possible. I had to figure out exactly what Bella was planning on besides being part of the fight. I watched in fascination as Bella's shield began to retract but suddenly, it stopped. Fuckin' hell, this is crazy! Bella interpreting the chaos as a threat and; she was protecting herself and Jasper.

BPOV

My mind was screaming with the pain as the venom flowed through me. Each pulse licked a fiery path towards the center of my body, straight for my heart. I wanted to scream. I pleaded mentally that this hell would be over with soon. I wanted desperately to tell Jasper that I was okay, but my mouth clearly wasn't moving. I grimaced internally as my heart quickened then, slowed back down.

I could feel a pull in the back of my mind, as though something was trying to force its way to the surface. It pushed and pulled as though it was the expansion of a bubble. I wanted nothing more than for it to go away. I wanted to welcome death as I passed into my eternal life.

I listened to Jasper and Char talking quietly about how I would no longer be human, how I would no longer have to breathe. I ached inside as I listened to Jasper tell her that he could have told me no, but I found profound relief that he didn't regret his decision.

As I drifted away from their conversation, I thought of Charlie. Above all the awkwardness in our conversations about Edward, I knew that deep down he would have been happy for the life I had chosen. I silently wept for the sudden loss of his life, and then rage swept through me. Victoria, that stupid fucking bitch; she was going to die by my hands and my hands alone.

The image of what I found the last time I had been home swept through my mind, playing itself like an instant replay from one of Charlie's football games.

*Flashback*

As I walked into the house, the smell of iron and copper hit my nose, making me instantly nauseated. I knew something was wrong and my instincts were telling me to run. For a moment, I stood there, frozen, torn between moving any further into the house and getting the hell out of there. The sound of the television blaring finally snapped me out of it, and I cautiously walked through the hallway to the kitchen.

I stepped into the room, and stood there horrified, screaming at the sight before me.

Charlie was sitting at the table, naked from the waist up. His badge, pinned to his bare skin as precisely as though it was on his uniform, gleamed in the moonlight coming through the window next to the table. I could hear the wheezing in the room as he struggled to breathe.

"B…" he tried to speak, but the blood gurgling from his throat making it impossible.

In that moment he was no longer Charlie, he was my dad.

"Dad…" I whispered, raking my eyes over his bloody form.

I rushed over, placing my hand over the gaping hole in my father's throat, trying not to gag at the smell of the blood. If I was going to save him, I needed to apply pressure to the wound, as I had been taught basic medical care in the class I took. My eyes darted back and forth across the room, as I searched for the phone that usually hung on the wall. My mind screamed as I couldn't find the object that I was looking for.

"Let…me…go," he struggled once more to speak; making eye contact with the revolver that was placed in the middle of the table.

I struggled within myself, as I realized what he was saying. He wanted me to end his life because he knew there was no hope. I begged silently with my eyes, telling him that I couldn't do what he asked.

"Please…I…love…you," he answered, his body becoming limp with exhaustion.

I slowly lifted my left hand off of his wound, the blood trickling down my hand and leaving a trail across the table to the revolver. My hand shook violently, as my mind processed what I was about to do. I picked up the revolver and removed my right hand from my father's throat, now gripping the gun with both hands.

I moved directly behind Charlie, pointing the gun at the back of his head. I listened to the sound of his labored breathing, as I took my shooting stance, placing my feet shoulder-width apart. I whispered an 'I love you' as the tears ran down my cheeks, and pulled the trigger. As much as I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and slip away from the horror, I couldn't.

I watched as the flash of the gun lit up the kitchen, and heard the resounding bang echoed through the house. As Charlie's lifeless body slumped over the table, I shoved the gun into my jacket pocket. Panic began to set in, and I fled as fast as I could out the front door without taking a backwards glance.

*End of Flashback*

I laid there for what seemed like hours, days, and months, the burn constantly licking at my veins. Images of Charlie continued flashing through my mind, and my rage was building.

Char's POV

Emmett came back into the room with Bella's jacket in hand, his expression disturbed. The smell of blood wafted through the air. It was Charlie's blood, not Bella's. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, holy hell…Bella what has happened to you?

Suddenly, Alice shrieked in frustration.

"I can't see any of you. Not a single person, you just disappear," she exclaimed.

My phone began playing 'Paradise City' and I quickly picked it up. I set it on speakerphone to make sure that everyone heard the conversation that I knew was about to happen.

"Doll face, it's not lookin' good over here," he sighed. "Charlie is slumped over the table with one bullet wound to the head…" he trailed off. "If I don't get outta here, there is goin' to be trouble. It's been two days and Chief hasn't made a peep, people are goin' to start questionin' shit. Besides, it really fuckin' stinks in here…" he said, trailing off. "I'm goin' to light this son of a bitch up and scramble," he said sadly.

"Peter, grab Charlie…" I said, closing my eyes to gather my composure. "I want Bella to at least have a proper burial for him." I opened my eyes to see the family staring at me.

"Char, please…" Peter sighed. I could only imagine the grimace that graced his features.

"Just do it, and stop actin' like a petulant three-year old," I scolded him. "Ya know what it felt like to lose your Daddy. Ya watched silently in the shadows as they buried him," I said, regretting that I had to bring up that heartbreak to Peter. "Then, light it up all you want." I closed the phone, ending the call.

"Fuck! Bella, what the hell is goin' on?" I whispered, looking Jasper in the eye.

"What are we going to do with the body?" Emmett asked.

"We will go further north and bury him. When Bella is ready, we will take her there to pay her final respects," I stated.

I was putting a plan into action, hoping to give Bella some closure after her newborn phase.

"Okay. What I don't get is who the hell shot Charlie?" Rosalie asked, sounding irritated.

As the realization of the situation began to sink into every vampires mind, most of them looked horrified that Bella might have done so brutal, especially to her own father.

"Before anyone jumps to any conclusions we need to get the story from Bella. We need to understand what had happened a couple of days ago," I said cautiously.

"What happens if she doesn't retain her human memories?" Emmett asked.

I sighed, knowing that was a possibility.

"That's a chance we are going to have to take then. Look at Rosalie," I said, giving her an apologetic look for bringing up her past. "She retained some of her human memories and became vengeful after that. I believe that is what is goin' to happen to Bella," I stated, looking at Carlisle who had just walked back into the room.

"It's a possibility that will happen. I sure do hope not…Rosalie was a handful," he said, looking contritely at his daughter. She just rolled her eyes in response.

JPOV

My eyes scanned the faces of my family members as they registered the horrific significance of the jacket in Emmett's hands. I watched as Char fumbled through the pockets, eventually removing the large object. The early morning light reflected off the blood-stained revolver. After Peter's phone call with Char and the revolver in Bella's pocket, I knew there would have been trouble if we wouldn't have done anything to cover up Charlie's murder.

I looked back down at Bella. Her crimson eyes were staring back into mine, and there was a blank look on her face.

"Darlin', you need to listen to me…" I whispered. "I know what you are doin', that you are tryin' to protect me. I need you to focus and lower your shield. No one in the room is going to hurt us. They are our family," I paused, hoping to get a reaction out of her.

I watched as her shield began to retract. Suddenly, it stopped, making the physical space much smaller to where I could barely even move around her. I had promised her that I would never again manipulate her emotions, but I was forced to do it again. I whispered "I'm sorry" before pushing enough calm into her to allow her shield to retract fully.

I was worried about her, but I had to push that worry to the back of my mind because the next 24 hours were critical. I watched her pupils dilate, realizing her vision was changing, before they returned back to normal.

A sudden movement caught my attention, and I watched as Alice became lost in another vision.

"Jasper, we have a problem," she said, as she came out of it. She was silent for a moment while she scanned the room. "It's Bella," she paused, looking right in my eyes. "When you helped her with her shield, she made a decision…" she trailed off.

"What decision, Alice?" I asked, growling at her.

She hesitated, looking over at Carlisle and Esme.

"Alice? What did you see?" Carlisle asked.

"She's going after Edward. I didn't see anything beyond that though, everything goes blank again," she finished, sending me sympathy.

My life was contained in those four words. I didn't know what Bella was thinking, one minute she was trying to protect me from our family, and the next she was going back to Edward.

"Get out," I growled.

I could feel my demeanor change. The lock on the cage had just completely broken with Bella's decision, and there was no turning back now. Destruction was in my wake, and I had no pity whoever was in my path.

"Char," I nodded to her.

"Yes, Major, I'll stay…" she replied, immediately taking a submissive stance.

I watched protectively over Bella as our family made their way out of the room. As soon as the lock clicked on the door, I made my way to the window. I paused for a moment, turning to glance back over my shoulder at Bella. My life lay there on the bed, and I would do whatever it took to protect her, regardless of her decision to go back to Edward. I smirked at Char with an evil glint in my eye and, I leapt out the window, landing in a crouched position. My head snapped up at the scent of an elk that had wandered onto the property. The fire in my throat flared and I could no longer control my thirst.

I pushed myself as I ran, and found myself wandering around the streets of Seattle, just after nightfall. Regrettably, after two hours of wandering, I found my prey. I stalked the group of men, keeping to the shadows, as every once in a while one of them felt compelled to look over their shoulder.

_Do it, Major…_

This is what Bella was talking about. I would never be Jasper, if I didn't accept the part of me who I had long repressed-The Major, The God of War.

_You're wasting time, Major…_

"Be patient…" I whispered to no one in particular.

I watched as the group disbanded. There were now just two of them stumbling down the street. They turned onto the pathway that headed towards Discovery Park, not once thinking about the dangers that would stalk them in a public place.

"Hey Steve, I got to take a piss…" one of the men had slurred.

I watched as he made his was over to the tree line, stumbling in the process. Silently I made my way through the trees until I was a couple of feet in front of him. I yearned to feel his emotions as I took his life. I took a few steps towards him, the moonlight highlighting my features, and giving my skin an unearthly glow. I growled and his head snapped to meet my piercing gaze. His eyes widened at my sudden appearance as a muffled sound escaped his lips.

_Ahh, Major, there they are_, my inner demon screamed.

I felt his surprise, and the fear creeping its way to the surface. He took a step back, threatening to run. Within a second I had my hand clamped around his throat, baring my teeth. I pulled him behind the tree line and struck quickly. I drank greedily from him, relishing the feel of human blood running down my throat. I felt no remorse as the burn became sated in my greed.

My inner demon roared in acceptance as I finished off my meal.

I watched again at a distance as the man named Steve made his way over to where he had last seen his friend.

_You can't leave him behind…_

I waited and watched, casually leaning against a tree, as the other man approached his death.

_Make it quick, Major, you have to get back to your mate…_

I struck from behind this time, again feeling the fear as death knocked on the man's door. I basked in his emotions, much like I did when Bella was human.

As quickly as I had started, it was over. I hastily disposed of the bodies at the end of the pier, watching as they sunk to the bottom, I thought about the lives I had just taken.

Regret? No.

Remorse? No.

Self-loathing? No.

As I made my way back to Forks, I could feel the vibration of my cell phone going off. I stopped as I took the call.

"Major, I hope you're on your way…" Char trailed off.

I growled, telling her that she had better finish that sentence.

"Bella just awoke pissed off, and hell bent on revenge for Charlie. Peter has her subdued, but she has both of them under her shield and she won't let it down," she finished.

"I'll be there soon," I said, slamming my phone shut.

Twenty minutes later, I walked into our room. I surveyed the scene before me quickly and found Peter straddling Bella, pinning her face down with and her arms behind her back. She was struggling, snapping wildly trying to break free.

"Bella, drop your shield," I commanded.

Her head snapped in my direction, and she immediately stopped struggling against Peter.

"Drop your shield," I commanded again.

I watched in amazement as the shimmer began to disappear from around them. She had enough control already to manipulate her shield, and she wasn't but an hour old newborn. Bella defied everything that a newborn was supposed to be.

"Leave," I spoke sternly to the other two vampires in the room.

I watched as Peter got off of Bella, and she immediately went into a defensive crouch, hissing at him as he walked away. Quietly, they left the room, leaving Bella and me alone.

"Bella, you will listen to me. Do you understand?" I asked her in an authoritative tone.

Again, she hissed, watching my movements carefully as I crossed the room.

I watched as she cautiously made her way to a standing position. Her head snapped towards the door and she bolted straight through the door. I could see that her instincts were telling her to feed, but her emotions were telling me that she was still pissed off. For thirty seconds I waited, knowing that her sudden movements would put everyone on alert.

I followed her scent, to Edward's room.

She stood in the middle of the room, breathing deeply, inhaling his scent as though she was trying to remember him more clearly than the faded memories that I hoped she would have.

Slowly, she looked at me through her lashes, a menacing smirk plastered on her face; I could tell that she was up to no good. She went to bolt again, but I lunged and gripped her tightly as we went tumbling to the ground. I held her close as she struggled against me. I forced her up to a standing position, noticing that we were directly in front of Edward's mirror.

I let my grip slacken as I felt her relax under my embrace. Her eyes were still closed, and I felt the fear of the unknown creep into her.

"Open your eyes, Bella," I commanded softly, gripping her chin tightly. I forced her to hold still so she could see the beauty I saw.

She expelled the last of her breath as her eyes fluttered open.

Two sets of crimson eyes stared back at us from the mirror.

She was breath taking, beautiful, and tantalizingly fuckable.

Peter came barging through the door, causing Bella to lose focus again. As quickly as I had her in my grip before, she was gone.

I zipped over to the window and saw her heading for the forest. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not what you think, Major…" Peter stated. "She's tracking Edward," he finished.

"She's what?" I asked, not even waiting to hear him answer before I leapt out the open window.

I heard a couple of soft thuds behind me, and picked up Peter and Char's scents.

"She's tracking Edward," Char restated.

"Fuck! Pick it up you two slow asses," I commanded. "We have to get to her before she finds him."

A/N: I know, I know…whose coming at me with the pitchforks and torches right now? I did take so many liberties in this chapter. While I find that most people focus on Bella's shield as her one and only gift (straight from the book); I wanted her to have something different. Yes, she is a tracker and her shield comes second to that. And one more thing…while I wouldn't want to be stalked by some lunatic vampire, I do find it quite enjoyable to be stalked by the Major! Hope you all enjoyed it!


	6. My Delicate Journey

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Authors Note (an extremely long one at that, my apologies in advance):

After a long and hard thought process and some suggestions from other authors, I have decided that the editing process for this story will stop on site; it will go back to the original posting. I thought about yanking it down for the editing, but I have put so much hard work into this story. Plus, so many people seem to enjoy it. *blows kisses to everyone who reviewed and put the story on their alerts*

I had a few questions come up, so I'm going to take the time to answer them as best as I can, right here and now:

I know, that some of the chapters are not coinciding with each other, and there is a reason for that. EVERYONE IN THIS STORY HAS THEIR SECRETS. I know the biggest confusion is with Chapter 2, 3 and 4. Hopefully with this next chapter being posted it will clear A LOT of these issues up. It will all tie in together and you can finally see the whole picture as to how Bella knows so much about Jasper, especially Peter and Char. Then, the story can finally move forward for your benefit. I know that is the most confusing part of this… and I'm sure it flusters everyone. For that, I am so sorry. Just bear with me, even if it's only for this next chapter.

As for Edward and his 'stray' issue with Bella, he is on an emotional rollercoaster. His acceptance of her not being his mate was something that he deliberately held from her. He's at a loss with Bella and he doesn't know how to handle it. It's a very big emotional upheaval for him, so he is resorting to the angry side.

Two people have asked me the question about Jasper jumping to conclusions on Bella's decision to go back to Edward. I will make this very; very clear…Bella isn't going back to Edward. And you will understand why by the end of this chapter.

As for Alice. The Cullens rely on Alice's visions, regardless if she has been deceitful or manipulative about her reactions. It's like the saying "Old habits die hard", but it will eventually catch up with her. Jasper accepted her "truth" from her vision as far as her decision about Edward, but his understanding of Bella's actions is clarified by the end of this chapter.

Again, Heavy…your suggestions at making this story better just astound me. I so love you! *tackles you for a huge hug* Thanks so much…

BPOV

I was scared. I didn't know what was happening to me, and I didn't care. At the moment, I didn't want to know. I felt pure rage as I fought against Peter in Jasper's bedroom. I struggled against his weight, snapping wildly to get to the one place where I wanted, no I needed to be. My mind was processing so much at one time that I really didn't know what I should be doing. I felt my shield force its way out and around Peter and myself. I found that my shield wasn't very useful as a defense against an attack. It was more like a bubble I could encase someone in.

My head whipped around as I heard Jasper tell me to drop my shield. I refused to listen; I didn't want to be controlled. I wanted to run savagely around the world, taking out every possible threat to me and my mate, starting with Edward. Again, I heard him command me to take my shield down. While lowering my shield, I focused on the internal battle that I was having. One part of my brain was telling me to run, while the other half wanted to protect my mate. I felt Peter's weight lift off me, and in a snap decision I crouched defensively protecting myself and my mate.

I watched as Jasper made his way over to the other side of the room, nonchalantly leaning against the bed post, just watching me. I couldn't really focus on what he was saying as my thoughts returned to where I thought I needed to be. That need disrupted any other train of thought that I had, and I sprinted out of the room, straight through the door.

Ignoring the thirst as it raged in my burning throat, I made my way to Edward's bedroom. As I stood there in the middle of his room with my head bowed, breathing deeply, to inhale his scent, my thought process changed. I began to filter through everything that had happened and I realized I wasn't the only one to blame for the acts of violence I had been forced to commit. If Edward hadn't brought me into this world, I wouldn't have lost everything. I wouldn't have lost my human life, my father and my humanity. The more I stood there inhaling his scent, the more pissed off I became. It was his fault I had to pull the trigger that night, his fault that I had to find out the hard way that my mate was Jasper, his fault that I had almost lost the family that still stood beside me today.

As I processed my surroundings, I heard his steps as he approached. I watched him through my lashes, just standing there, again watching me intently. I started to bolt again, but I felt his arms grip me forcefully as we tumbled to the ground. I struggled in his grasp trying to maneuver out of his clutches. He gripped me tighter, forcing me to stand up with him. His hold on my chin was tight forcing me to hold my head still.

"Open your eyes, Bella," he commanded softly in my ear, the grip on my chin even tighter.

He was forcing me to see myself, forcing me to face my fear. I squeezed my eyes a little tighter wishing that this was all a dream. Again, his grip got a little tighter on my chin. I released the breath that I was holding as my eyelids fluttered open to reveal two sets of crimson eyes staring back at me. As I scanned our reflections, I saw a flicker of fear cross my mate's eyes.

I could see the bite marks that marred Jasper's upper body; they screamed danger, vengeance and revenge. My body relaxed slightly, as I took in his form. He was trying to intimidate me with his half naked body.

Peter barged through the door and brought my attention back to where I was standing. I was in the middle of Edward's room. I inhaled sharply one more time before I launched myself out the open window. I landed gracefully on my feet and took off through the woods.

I could hear their footfalls behind me as I darted through the woods. I pushed myself faster and faster, trailing Edward's scent. It was faint, just barely detectable under the rain that had fallen. I could still hear Jasper, Peter and Char behind me, but the sound was growing fainter. I don't know how far I had travelled before his scent took a turn north. He was headed for the Denali coven.

The burning in my throat flared as I smelled something else even more delectable. _A human_, I thought, _a meal_. I pressed myself harder and faster as the smell had made my burning throat flare even more. The human's blood was teasing me like a child in a candy store. With every footstep I took, I knew I was getting closer to my target. I could hear the heartbeat now, pumping in my ears like a drum. Thump, thump, thump…it kept taunting me.

I pounced, hearing the sickening crunch of bones underneath my hands, as we both fell to the ground. I quickly snapped the neck and drank greedily, thirsting for more. I sprang up, fleeing from my first meal and making my way through the woods again. I darted and dashed in between trees, feeling the wind whip around me, in search for my next prey.

I didn't pity the next human or the one after that.

Regret? No.

Remorse? No.

Self-loathing? No.

I finally came to a stop just before the Canadian border. I had lost all traces of Edward long ago, so for now he was safe, but my focus came back to him as my thoughts began to slow a little. I wanted nothing more than to destroy the one who had almost destroyed me. My anger flared, but still I forced myself to sit down on a fallen log.

I knew that most newborn vampires did not retain clear memories of their human lives, but I could tell that I was different. I had retained the memories that brought me pain, just like Rosalie, and I was hell-bent on revenge. But, I had also retained my memories the Cullens, Peter and Char, Jasper, and Charlie. Those people were the best parts of my life over the last year and a half.

*Flashback*

The first time I heard the names Peter and Charlotte, I was listening to Jasper and Edward argue. Jasper wanted to call them for back-up after the incident in Phoenix. He was calculating and planning on taking Victoria out shortly after we returned, although Edward had insisted that she was not a threat to me or the family. It sparked my interest as I didn't know anything about Jasper, his past, or his family before the Cullens.

After a mentally exhausting week of watching Edward and Jasper argue over Peter and Charlotte, and a few searches on the internet, I decided that Jasper's past was becoming a problem in mine and Edward's relationship. I was tired of Jasper's past being such a secret, that I decided taking what few names I had, and went to Texas myself. I explained to Charlie before I left that I needed to get away. I was about to begin my senior year, Edward was breathing down my neck, that I needed to live a little. I told him that Carlisle and Esme had bought me tickets to go see Mom in Florida, but I was going to trade them in for Houston. He questioned why I wouldn't want to go and see Mom, so I told him that one of my favorite bands was playing there; he had to admit that Renee would be the first to understand my need to live a little. I also told him that Alice was going with me. I think that's the only reason he agreed. I had come up with this elaborate scheme in my head, and so far Charlie was on board.

I called Alice to tell her that I needed her to lie for me and steer clear of Charlie for the weekend. Without question, she agreed. I should have known something was wrong when she could clearly see what my decision was. She told me that she would block my deception from Edward by thinking about this fall's fashion line. I rolled my eyes.

Getting past Edward was not an easy feat; I told him that I was going to use the ticket to finally go see my Mom before my change, giving me the chance to say good-bye. He fought with me for hours, saying that Victoria was still out there, and that I was in danger. I countered with the comment that if he was so worried that he should have let Jasper move forward with his plan to take her out. His eyes widened and his expression shocked, like I had just slapped him in the face. After recovering, he huffed like a child, turned on his heel and disappeared out my bedroom window. That's when things changed between Edward and me.

I made my way to Galveston, Texas, the last place that I had knew Jasper had been after hearing him and Edward argue. Through all the arguing, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I wanted to see where Jasper came from, rather than hear it from a third or fourth source and because of Edward's over protectiveness I couldn't go directly to the source. I don't know what was behind this sudden surge of curiosity, but whatever the reason, I felt as though I needed to know why Jasper had become the vampire that he was.

I searched for two days, going on what little information I had after finding out that they bore the same last name as Jasper through Alice, trying to find Peter and Char. I was on my last leg, only a few hours from heading back to Forks, when I found the road that led to their place. My instincts were screaming, telling me to run as I stepped out of the woman's car I had hitched a ride from. I politely nodded, gave her a gentle smile and stepped onto the long driveway. Every part of my body screamed and tried to force me to turn around back to the woman's car. I pushed forward though, my curiosity getting the best of me.

I stopped the just outside a quaint little house, breathing deeply because I had absolutely no idea why I had done this besides the hidden secrets of Jasper's past. The home was buried deep in the plains of Texas, not a neighbor in sight for miles and it seemed like there was no exit to the property. The vast expanse of the property showed that it was well taken care of.

I watched from just beyond the porch as the door opened to reveal a strikingly handsome man, who ironically looked a lot like Jasper. He was tall, around Edward's height, and his blond hair fell to his shoulders. He was the epitome of a cowboy, from his weathered flannel shirt, straight down to his scuffed up cowboy boots.

My posture stiffened as the reality of the situation came crashing down on me. I looked into his crimson eyes, before closing my eyes and shaking my head to remind myself that I came here for a reason. I took a tentative step towards the porch, as I watched who I had assumed was Peter. I watched cautiously through the slats on the porch railing, as they distorted this vampires feature some.

"Bella…" He trailed off, a smile gracing his lips.

I stopped mid-step and stared at him. I hadn't expected him to know who I was, but his knowledge further cemented that I had made the right choice by coming being here. I managed to mumble something in response, my stuttering clearly showing that I was human. He chuckled at my struggle for words and waved for me to follow him inside.

I made my way into the house, and stood awkwardly in the entryway, waiting for some sort of instruction as to where I needed to go. Suddenly, a blonde head that I assumed belonged to Charlotte popped her head out of the next doorway.

"Hey there, sweets. You thirsty?" she asked, chuckling at her own joke.

"Umm…" I trailed off, shifting back and forth on my feet. I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in the presence of these human drinkers.

"I wasn't talking about blood, Bella," she said, rolling her eyes. "I made some sweet tea," she finished.

I only nodded in response, earning a small smile from her before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Make yaself at home, sweets," she called behind her.

I made my way through the entryway into the living room and sat down on a couch. I took in my surroundings and was pleasantly surprised that it smelled of sunshine and old leather, very Texan. I smiled thinking that of how one day; I would like to live down in the sun again. Clearly, even as a vampire I could, just as my hosts were.

"Bella, why did you come here?" Peter asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

I hadn't even realized that either of them had come into the room. They stood there staring at me like I was insane for being here.

"Jasper," I whispered quietly.

"What about Jasper, Bella?" Char said, walking over to hand me my tea. She sat down and gently patted my knee while Peter stood there with a smirk and his arms across his chest.

"I don't know," I sighed. "All I know is that I'm curious about him. Edward never answers when I ask questions about him, and according to Edward, he's far too dangerous for me to talk to face to face," I said, throwing up air quotes around "dangerous".

"Again, why did you come here, Bella?" Peter asked me again.

I looked at him, thoroughly confused by his question. As I stared at him, feeling quite perplexed that I didn't know the answer to his question, he just stood there staring right back. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I had made my way down here on a whim for no other reason than I was curious about Jasper. As I searched Peter's features, he gave nothing away; his expression was completely neutral.

"How did you know I was coming?" I asked, my eyes darting back and forth between them.

"Alice called, told us to be on the lookout for you. You know her and her meddling," Char said, rolling her eyes. I giggled because it was just like Alice to do something like that. Peter vanished, reappearing right in front of me seconds later. The look on his face was thoughtful as though he was trying to figure out exactly what to say.

I watched as he raised his clenched fist and released his fingers. The necklace dangling on the end of them was beautiful. I swayed, back and forth, following the hypnotic motion of the pendant as though it was an instrument made specifically for hypnotizing. I watched as it became still, glittering in the rays of light coming in from the window. It was stunning, a simple silver cross with gold angel wings wrapped around it.

"Here," Peter said, placing the necklace gently around my neck. "This is for you," he finished, letting the necklace slip below the neckline of my shirt.

"What is it?" I asked. "And, why are you giving it to me?"

"Your place in this world, sugar," he answered cryptically.

I looked at Charlotte, asking for an explanation with my expression; she smiled back gently before getting up and walking towards the kitchen again. Char's disappearance, left me and Peter in a staring match again, and the silence was consuming, like there was a huge elephant in the room.

"Why did you come here?" he asked again.

"I don't know what answer your looking for, Peter," I said angrily. "But, I assure you that your assumptions are probably wrong."

"I'm never wrong," he answered swiftly.

"Again, I assure you that you are," I said, my expression hardening.

At that point, I had known these vampires for all of ten minutes and Peter was getting under my skin already. At the same time, I felt more confident being around them on my own, and not shrouded by some over-bearing boyfriend.

A sudden movement caught me off guard and I jumped. I scrambled further onto the couch as my eyes widened in shock. I took in the two forms standing before me. They both looked dangerous, very dangerous. My heart sped up, my vision blurred, and my head became light. I felt like I was swimming in an ocean, the waves crashing around me as I tried to catch the only breath that I had left.

*End Flashback*

JPOV

I followed Bella's scent as we headed north. I told Peter and Char to dispose of the human remains we passed in her wake. I trailed her to just before the Canadian border, realizing she was clearly tracking Edward. I could feel her emotions a mile away. I stopped just short of where she was and watched her. She gently fingered a necklace that I hadn't noticed before.

BPOV

*Flashback Continued*

I sat there, mouth agape, just staring at the two vampires that were standing in front of me. Neither moved, just staring back at me.

My mouth was parched, my mouth opening and closing as I took in both figures again. I couldn't find the right words to say, a coherent thought somewhere in the recess of my mind. I palmed my face and groaned.

"Why me?" I whispered.

A low chuckle escaped Peter's lips, followed by a tinkling laugh from the kitchen. Again, I groaned.

"Ahh," Peter said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So my assumptions are correct then?" he asked, another chuckle escaping his lips.

"Cocky bastard," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What a mouth ya have on ya!" Char said as she wrapped her arms around Peter's waist.

"You don't know the half of it," I replied, eyeing the vampire that was standing next to Peter.

I thought Edward was beautiful when he 'sparkled', but this vampire was beyond beautiful. He was captivating me, just as Edward had. I shook my head, trying to steer clear of being dazzled. I don't think he was intentionally trying to dazzle me, but he sure as hell was giving Edward a run for his money. I sighed. Finally, my thoughts began to filter back into my brain and I was able to at least say something that didn't sound stupid.

"Don't you have better things to do with your time?" I asked, pointing to the other vampire.

"Who me?" he asked innocently, pointing to his chest.

"Yes, you," I said. "Did you think I was talking to that wall behind you or something?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"I like her…" he said, turning to Peter and smiling. "She's feisty," he said, eyeing me up with a smirk.

"Well, maybe if she wasn't so repressed by Edward, and when I mean repressed, I mean repressed," Peter said wagging his eyebrows, earning a smack upside the head from Char.

"What?" he asked, looking down at her, confusion crossing his face.

"It would be right of ya to remember that a gentleman doesn't take advantage of a lady," Char said, chuckling.

"She ain't a lady, if the word 'bastard' comes out of her mouth…" he responded, earning another smack upside the head.

I threw my hands up in the air and huffed. This was getting ridiculous. I was getting even more pissed off by the moment.

"Shut up, Peter!" I screeched. "Jesus fucking Christ, I just want to know why Jasper is standing in the middle of your fucking living room. It's not so much to ask when I made the fucking trip by myself, I could have just hitched a fucking ride with him as showed me the way. Alice fucking knew I was going to do this, she could have at least told me he was here. I'm the one who searched for your place for two days…" I trailed off, eyeing Jasper irately.

"Whoa there, darlin', take a breath before ya pass out," he said, holding his hand up to stop my rant. "Take a breath, then I will explain."

I inhaled through my nose and out of my mouth, trying to let my anger pass. Jasper watched me as I took each breath in and blew it out. He smiled gently, letting me know that my emotions were not affecting him as badly anymore.

"Well?" I questioned him.

"I'm on vacation," he deadpanned.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're on vacation? How convenient," I scoffed, my anger flaring back to the surface.

"Yes," he answered simply. "Now the question is: why are _you_ here?" he said, raising his eyebrow at me.

Again, I felt all plausible explanations evade me.

"I…I…I" I stuttered, silently pleading with Charlotte to help me out on this one.

"She came here to learn about you," Char answered for me. "Edward keeps her in the dark."

"Hmm, how thoughtful of him…" he trailed off.

I noticed there was something different about Jasper, now that he wasn't with the Cullens. He seemed to have a sense of humor, a lightness to him, which seemed to be buried underneath what I saw when he was with the Cullens. He turned on his heel and left the room.

"Gah, stupid fucking vampires…" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I swear they're all alike."

"What are we, human?" Char laughed.

"Sorry," I said, rolling my eyes. "Clearly, I'm not going to get any answers even with Jasper right in the other room." I said, glancing at the clock on the mantle.

"Be patient, sugar. You will get your answers," Char said, walking up and embracing me lightly. "There is a lot of time between now and forever."

I had spent just a little over an hour with them and I had to leave and make my way back to Forks. I would go back to living as a repressed, obedient, and loving girlfriend. Char programmed her and Peter's numbers in my phone before I left, and she even included Jasper's for good measure, knowing I would never use it.

I travelled the few hours back to Houston with Peter in dead silence, catching a later flight then I had intended. While I sat there, I thought of a million lies that I could tell Edward about my new gift. I had finally settled on that I had saw it in a jewelry shop and bought it. It was a simple enough lie that would get me through until I could do some research on it.

Over the next few months, I had noticed subtle changes in Edward. He was even more overprotective. Every time I brought up my change, he would push the question aside. I was beginning to become desperate in my search for forever. I had called Charlotte quite a few times, to ask basic questions about Jasper, and help me figure out what I was going to do. She was becoming more and more worried that Edward was changing his mind on my change. A few times, Peter had gotten on the phone to reassure me that it was still going to happen.

*End of Flashback*

A twig snapping brought me out of my daydream. I crouched and hissed, as his scent became clearer.

"Bella, do not move," he commanded.

I hissed again, crouching further into a defensive position, and throwing my shield up.

"Drop it," he commanded, coming out from behind the tree. "I need to feel you."

"You're not going to control me, Jasper," I stated.

"Bella, I don't want to manipulate your emotions or control you, I just want to feel you," he replied, concern washing over his features.

I watched as he walked toward me with authority. Although my mind was screaming at me to not listen the part of me that trusted him won the battle, and I lowered my shield.

"Your control of your gift is amazing," he said. "But that is not what interests me at the moment. What interests me is that," he said, pointing to the necklace. "Where did you get it?"

"Peter," I said, straightening back up to my full height. "He gave it to me when I first made it to their place that day,"

"You know what it symbolizes, don't you?" he asked, looking suddenly serious.

"No," I replied.

I watched as he leaned in close to my ear. My eyes darted back and forth around the forest, watching for any sign of Peter and Char. His voice became husky as he spoke.

"You are wearing the Whitlock crest," he whispered seductively.

My eyes widened as the explanation sunk rapidly into my mind. Peter had given me this and I had unknowingly been wearing my mate's family crest since my visit to Texas. I searched the surrounding area through the dark of the night for Peter and Char. When I honed in on the sounds of their whispers off in the distance, my eyes narrowed.

"Peter," I said.

All I heard was a chuckle in the blowing breeze.


	7. Coming To A Head

Short disclaimer becuse I'm too lazy to copy and paste the old one: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, no copywrite infringement intended against her or Summit Entertainment.

A very short authors note: Well here it is guys, good ole Chapter 7. It was great fun to write after such a long writers block. Thanks to the lovely heavyinfinity for being extremely patient with me on this and not giving up.

Peter and Char's scents hit me like a cannonball, and I could hear their quiet whispers as they approached Jasper and me. Jasper growled quietly and all movement ceased. I watched Jasper as he circled me, eyeing the pendant every time he moved in front of me. I shifted from foot to foot as I stood there, just watching and waiting for him to do something other than growl, pace, and stare at my chest. I was becoming extremely uncomfortable under his gaze and I shifted from foot to foot. Finally getting tired of the endless Jasper parade. I held my hand out for him to stop. His head snapped up to meet my gaze, and his growl deepend.

"Jasper, Jesus Christ… would you at least say something coherent besides the growling?" I said as my eyes met his.

Within seconds, he had me pinned up against the tree, the impact almost taking the tree out. His finger caressed my collarbone, trailing down to where the pendant rested just above the neckline of my shirt. He idly fingered it before he leaned in and ran his nose along my neck and jawline. My eyes fluttered for a brief second, before they snapped back open to find his eyes locked on mine. A gasp escaped my lips at the sight of his eyes; their usual beautiful crimson color was pitch black. His nostrils were flaring slightly as he took unnecessary breaths. My eyes traced his features as he held my gaze.

"Peter…" his voice escaped his lips, barely whisper.

I watched out of my peripheral vision as Peter exposed himself from behind a tree. His stance, soldier-like was unwavering as Jasper's gaze moved from me to him. Jasper let out a fierce snarl, and Peter immediately took a submissive stance, his palms out and his head bowed.

"Jasper…" I whispered as I watched his head slowly move back to face me.

I watched as his eyes traveled back and forth between the pendant, Peter, and me.

Peter emitted a constant growl from his chest as he raised his head and dared to meet Jasper's stare. I tried to make my eyes focus on one of them, but I couldn't. Seconds passed, and the growls were suddenly becoming snarls. I felt Jasper's hand on my chest and the next second it was gone. I lifted my hand and touched my chest where the pendant should be resting, but it was no longer there. I watched as Jasper's finally came to a stand right in front of Peter, a snarl ripping through his chest as the necklace dangled in his hand at Peter's eye-level.

I watched as Peter's eyes followed the pendant, before he finally looked to Jasper, again. I heard a twig snap behind me and immediately went into a defensive crouch, lowly growling as I waited for whoever it was to show themselves. I watched as Char came around from around the tree, instantly taking a submissive stance. I growled lowly to let her know that she needed to stay where she was, and her movements stilled instantaneously.

"Bella…" she whispered, never letting her gaze leave the ground. "Peter overstepped his boundaries this time. Sweets, it's gonna get bad."

I shook my head as my thoughts became rabid and uncontrolled.

Threat.  
Protect your mate.  
Threat.  
Defend your life.  
Threat.

A feral snarl left my throat as my judgment became clouded, my instincts took over, and I crouched lower. The threat's eyes snapped up to meet mine as she started shaking her head. I watched her eyes dart to my mate and Peter. I could feel the anger radiating off Jasper, affecting my own rage about the situation.

"Be..."

I didn't let her finish as my instincts were fueled by the threat to my mate. I lunged at her and made contact, feeling the threat's arms grip me tightly around the waist as they sunk her teeth into my shoulder. My hands went immediately behind her head.

"BELLA! Let go now!" I heard my mate roar.

My grip got tighter around the threat's neck. A growl ripped through my chest as I felt the venom burn. The grip slackened on my waist enough for me to turn around and use my feet to hurl myself and the threat into the closest tree. I quickly sunk my teeth into her shoulder. My hand flashed to her wrist as I yanked, hearing the ripping sound of metal filtered through the air.

In the next instant, I felt the familiar burn in my neck as I was ripped from the threat to my mate. Struggling against the force of my hands behind my back, I found myself pinned to the foliage covered ground. I let out a low growl as I continued to struggle.

I felt a sense of calm and tranquility wash over me. I groaned as I felt Jasper's breath on my ear.

"Bella, are ya calm enough for me to let ya up now?" His voice was strong and commanding against my ear.

I nodded slightly, unable to speak in that moment. I felt the pressure ease off of my back and arms as Jasper lifted himself up and he pulled me up into a standing position. My eyes immediately went to stern look on Jasper's face told me that I had done something wrong.

"Bella..." he said as he pointed towards Char. "Ya almost took Char's head off, and ya clean removed her arm." He sighed as he looked over at Peter and Char.

My gaze followed his as I saw Peter holding Char's arm in place. She cringed at the pressure he was applying. I flinched at the site as I looked back to Jasper. The look on his face made me want to crawl under a rock. I wanted to hide from that piercing stare.

"What were ya thinkin', darlin'?" Jasper asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

My eyes snapped over to Peter and Char when I heard a growl escape from Peter's chest.

"To protect you, to defend my mate, to keep you safe," I whispered as my eyes fell towards the ground. I felt like a scolded child with my father standing in front of me.

""Darlin', I could see that, but that was a dangerous move. Char was trained by Peter, and Peter was trained by me." he said with a smirk. "Char could have dismembered ya in a matter of seconds." He leaned into my ear, his voice just above a whisper. "She's one hell of a lethal bitch, She will have a head on a silver platter before ya can blink."

As he stood to his height again, he glanced over and chuckled at Peter.

"Jas..." I trailed off as I looked down to his hand, which still held the necklace. I reached out to seek the chain, but he moved it out of reach. "Please, Jasper..."

My little rift with Char was long forgotten as the rumble in Jasper's chest began again. I turned quickly just as Char grabbed me around the waist again, pulling me further from where I needed to be. I kicked and fought harder as her grip tightened and secured me to her.

"Bella, please…" I heard her whisper. "Ya don't wanna be there right now, sweets."

I struggled within myself, trying to understand the situation. How had Peter overstepped his boundaries? Why was Jasper so pissed off? I reached for the pendant and he withdrew it from me. What did that mean? Was I never meant to be a Whitlock, after all?

A feral snarl broke me out of my inner musings and my struggle against Char. I stopped instantaneously, and watched Peter drop to his knees, growling as Jasper stalked towards him. I could see that Peter was struggling against Jasper's gift. Peter slowly rose to his feet, looking at Jasper with a blank stare, and then did something that I would have never expected.

His eyes went pitch black and he ran full force at Jasper. I watched horrified, that someone dared to approach Jasper the way Peter was.

"Char..." I hesitated. "Why would Peter do that?"

"Peter knows Jasper, sweets," she whispered in my ear.

I watched as Jasper dug his feet into the ground and squared his shoulders, waiting the impact with Peter. With a thunderous crack, Peter made contact as his shoulder hit Jasper squarely in the chest. I gasped and covered my mouth as I saw Jasper sail back into a tree. The force from the impact, snapped the tree in half. I watched as Peter raced over to Jasper, grabbing him by the throat and forcing him to stand.

"Ya wanna tell me just what boundaries I crossed, Jas?" Peter asked scathingly. "Cause ya pussy ass wouldn't have done a fuckin' thin' about the pendant, and ya damn well know it!"

I watched as Jasper's muscles tensed and rippled, his eyes were void of emotion, but his lips curled into a menacing smirk.

PPOV

I could feel it wash over me like a blanket; Jasper's gift. He wasn't gonna fight fair and that pissed me off even more. As I fell to my knees, I snarled at that knowledge. A growl rumbled from my chest as my warnin' finally got to Jasper. He knew that this wasn't the time to make me submit; this was the time for him to back up all that anger he was projectin' earlier. I slowly rose to my feet as I felt Jasper's gift dissipate.

I could feel my own anger rising as I watched him stalk me, but I have to admit, he is one intimidating mother fucker. His stance was one of power, vengeance and revenge. I could feel Jasper's anger fueling my own, his projection as he got even more pissed that he thought I had crossed some imaginary boundary.

And to think, this was all over some pendant, something that we as Whitlock's all wear. Bella had the necklace, Char has the charm bracelet, I have the ring and Jasper wears the cuff. They are the only four crests in existence as Jasper had them personally made for everyone in the family after he came to Texas when Bella showed up.

I knew that there was only one way to make him see that I wasn't backin' down from this. I may not have had the right to give the pendant to Bella, but I knew he would never do it on his own. With that thought in mind, I ran straight for Jasper. Upon impact I slammed my shoulder into his chest. I watched as he made no attempt to fight it and he sailed into a tree. I raced over to him and forcefully gripped his neck, pulling him to stand with me. He stood there, not saying anything as I kept my grip on his neck.

"Ya wanna tell me, just what boundaries I have crossed, Jas?" I asked, venom lacing my voice. "Cause ya pussy ass wouldn't have done a fuckin' thing about that pendant, and ya fuckin' know it!"

I watched his frame relax then tense. Then he did it...

He fuckin' smirked. He actually fuckin' smirked.

I felt his hand on my wrist, pullin' it away from his neck as he looked straight in my eyes. I wanted to submit, but I just couldn't suppress the growing rage inside of me. My chest heaved as I honestly didn't know what to expect from Jasper; he was unpredictable, and runnin' on instinct. Never lettin' go of my wrist, he quickly spun me around and brought me to my knees, twistin' my arm into an awkward angle that I had never seen him use before. He was makin' me submit as I locked eyes with Bella.

I kept my eyes locked with Bella as I felt his teeth pierce my neck. Then the burn from Jasper's venom. I struggled to get to my feet as the burn spread through my body again. I managed to get one foot on the ground and that was enough leverage. I used my one foot to launch myself over Jasper, usin' my weight to slam my feet into his back, which sent him sailin' forward. He quickly rolled and recovered into a defensive crouch, snarlin' at the sight of me back on my feet.

"I will not submit, Major!" I roared, as I held out the pendant for him to view. When his instincts took over, it left me a moment's distraction to grab the necklace. "This belongs to Bella."

I tossed the pendant towards Char, never removin' my gaze from Jasper. I crouched low, splayin' my fingers across the damp forest floor. I watched as he crouched lower and moved to the balls of his feet. He was gonna spring forward. He pounced quickly as I lept forward, our bodies collidin' in mid air with a thunderous crack. The force behind his impact literally took my breath away. I landed with a loud thud on the wet ground.

"You will submit, Captain!" he roared as his boot came smashin' down on my chest. I heard and felt my chest crack under the force of his boot.

He leaned down over me and cracked me right in the jaw, but as his fist came down for the second time, I grabbed it. Holdin' onto his wrist, I placed my foot in his gut and launched him over my head. I kept pace with his airborne body and grabbed his arm to roughly yank him down, slammin' him face first into the tree. I quickly sunk my teeth into his shoulder and yankin' as hard as I could. I heard the sound that I relished back in the ol' days. Screechin' metal.

I smirked as I leaned into his ear.

"Now, now, Major..." I whispered. "Never lose focus."

His snarl vibrated the foliage around us as he spun around and grabbed my neck, throwin' me towards Bella and Char. I quickly recovered as I snarled back at him. His posture became rigid and that fuckin' smirk reappeared again. I heard Char pull Bella out of the way, because she knew what was comin'. Hell, I knew what was comin', and I braced for it. He ran straight for me, moved left and grasped my head.

BPOV

I watched horrified, as Jasper, grabbed Peter's head. I shrieked and roughly tried to get out of Char's grasp. In the blink of an eye, Peter's head was detached from his body. Jasper's eyes snapped to mine. The look in his eyes terrified me. I couldn't move as I watched him toss Peter's head towards Char and me.

"Put ya mate back together, Char," He roughly jerked his head at me indicating that I should follow him. "This discussion is over, never to be brought back up again."

"Yes, Major." She replied, stepping forward and picking up Peter's head.

I bent down and picked up the pendant in my hands, lightly brushing it with my fingers to remove the dirt. I placed it gently in my pocket. I looked up to Jasper and nodded, taking the steps forward to meet him. I bent down and picked up the discarded appendage that was Jasper's arm. He roughly grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the forest.

"Jas.." I stopped as he growled lowly.

"Don't, Bella..." He ground out through his teeth. "Just, fuckin' don't."

I nodded minutely, but didn't make a sound. We walked for what seemed to be miles before he stopped in his tracks. He turned towards me and relief flooded over me when I saw his eyes had returned to their normal crimson color again.

"I'm not sorry that ya had to see that, Bella," he said, while running his fingers through his golden locks. "I'll never be sorry for who I was, who I repressed for so long and who finally came to surface today."

He sighed as he reached in my pocket and pulled out the pendant. He gently fingered the broken chain and looked down at me.

"Now, this I am sorry for." He said reaching out and placing it in my hand. "And, if I'm honest here, Peter was right. I would have never given it to ya on my own."

I looked at him through my lashes and frowned.

"Then why that fight, Jasper? Why fight your brother and remove his head..." I shook my head in complete disbelief because I just didn't understand.

"Bella, ya have to understand that..." He trailed off before stepping forward and wrapping his arm around my waist. "He's not just my brother. I am his superior. But, first and foremost he is my brother. What ya saw back there was small compared to what I've done in my past, Bella."

"The Major," I said quietly.

He rested his chin on my head and nodded.

"Jas, I just don't understand how you could do that? You lost it back there..." I trailed off.

"I didn't lose it back there, that was nothin', darlin'." He glanced down at his shoulder and smiled.

"That doesn't happen very often," he said, leaning down and grabbing his arm from me. "Peter was very lucky that he even got that opportunity."

I smiled gently at him as I watched him rip his shirt off and place his arm back in his socket. He hissed loudly as it made contact.

"Fuck..." he said looking up at me through his lashes. "That hurts more than I remember."

He shook his head as to dismiss the memory, and I slowly reached up and cupped his face. He leaned in and let out a sigh. He visibly relaxed underneath my touch. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to reassure him that it didn't matter who he was; I wanted him to know that what mattered was that he was here with me.

"Jasper, what was that I felt when I thought you were in danger?" I paused for a moment trying to arrange my racing thoughts, before I continued on. "I wanted nothing more than to rip Char apart..." I recoiled at the memory.

"That, darlin' was the matin' pull." He motioned for me to sit down as he held onto his arm. I sat down and watched as he followed suit across from me. "I knew ya would feel it as ya processed the situation in ya mind. It's not just that sense of protectin' either; it will feel like a physical pull if we ever get separated."

My chest constricted at the thought of us ever being separated. I couldn't see myself ever being away from Jasper. I shook my head to clear my mind from the jumbled thoughts that were running rampant in my head.

"But what about Edward? He swore up and down that he and I were mates..." I paused. "He was so sure that it was him and me."

He looked at me with confusion and then shook his head.

"Alice's visions are subjective, as you know. When she searched for me in Philly, she was goin' on just that fact alone. There was nothin' in those visions to say that she and I were mates..." He trailed off.

"So, ya still trust her?" I asked, concern written all over my features.

He nodded.

I didn't know what to feel in that moment. After everything, he still trusted her.

"Why?" I whispered, finding the ground suddenly extremely entertaining.

"I suppose for the same reason ya do, Bella. Otherwise ya wouldn't have come down to Texas. Alice has never given you, nor I a reason not to trust her." He said as a small smile played on his lips.

I looked at him quizzically, and he chuckled at my expression.

Did I really trust Alice? I tried to think of a time when I had never really not trusted her. I shook my head as I really couldn't think of one. I looked up at Jasper, he had a smile on his face.

"Alice...well, she is Alice. Why do ya think she gave ya that permission to do what ya needed to do with me?" He hesitated for a moment and continued on. "I've always known that Alice and I weren't mates..."

I looked at him in pure shock.

"So, talk about a puppet master..." I chuckled.

I watched as Peter and Char broke through the tree line. I smiled in relief to see that Peter was fine. He walked up behind Jasper and clapped him on the back.

"Nice moves there, Major," he laughed.

As I sat there and watched them interact. They were truly a family, a family where I finally belonged. I raised my eyebrow in question as I looked at the three of them.

"You guys," I pointed to each of them. "You guys knew the whole damn time didn't you? From the trip to Texas to right before my change, didn't you?"

They all smirked, just fucking smirked at me.

I lay back on the damp ground, covered my face with my hands, and whispered,

"Why me?"

CharPOV

I watched it all unfold, exactly as we planned. Well, the guys, myself, Alice and Carlisle at least. I felt bad for Bella and only wanted to protect her. We couldn't risk anyone comin' up and finding a circle of us around a campfire singin' Kumbya or somethin'.

The sad part of this whole thing is that we had never factored in Charlie's presence in Bella's life. His death was unfortunate, and somethin' we were completely unprepared for.

After Bella left Texas, we started to put our plan into action. We needed to have the Cullen's believe that what happened between everyone, was as much as the truth as the hidden lies.

Now don't get me wrong here, I don't like Alice, but we seemed to have come to an understandin' when it came to Jasper. We only wanted to see him happy and Alice wasnt the one for him, she was just the person to do make it happen though, with her gift of course. So, we played our parts. After the phone call with Alice in 1950, we all played them well.

Peter and I were the estranged family, the human drinkers who wreck havoc on a coven by keepin' in contact with Jasper. Alice was the doting wife, who kept her husband under lock and key. Then there was Jasper, the empath who sat in the background and waited patiently while tryin' to control his bloodlust.

Everyone knew that from the time we had watched Jasper leave us and head towards Philly, that somethin' was gonna change. Somethin' was brewin' and we just didn't know when it would happen.

When Jasper called and said that he was safely with the Cullen's, I let out a relieved sigh. To my surprise, he and Carlisle bonded pretty quickly after his first hunt, catchin' up on the old days with the Volturi, and eventually filling Carlisle in on as much of the plan that we knew of at the moment from Alice.

"Peter?" I asked while his head was still firmly placed on his shoulders. "After all we have done since that phone call in 1950, are we still makin' the right choice?"

"Yep, sugar lips," he said as he smiled. "Everythin' is gonna be just fine."

There you go, hope you enjoyed! I'm pressed for time at the moment for updating, but hopefully it will be soon!


	8. Forewarned

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Authors Note: Holy shit, y'all! I actually edited and posted. I owe a lot of hugs and gropes to HeavyInfinty for being patient with me. Jesus, sometimes I don't know how she does it. Anyhow, this chapter was a bit of a struggle for me to write and has actually been sitting in my inbox for a month or more waiting to be edited. From now on, I can't make any promises on how fast my updates will be. I am loaded down with school and have had other real life issues come up. With that being said, I hope you enjoy your time here on the story.

Carlisle POV

I watched as my family took sides. It seemed like we were against Edward, and in reality, we probably were. I had to seem neutral in the matter, but the truth was set long ago, decades ago really.

I had been in Volterra, visiting the brothers when I had received a call from a panicked female.

*Flashback*

"This is Carlisle Cullen..." I said into the receiver.

"Mr. Cullen, this is Mary Alice Brandon," the female voice said. "I need you to listen very carefully to me. Please, sir, I beg of you."

I heard the urgency in her voice, and with my unexplained compassionate nature towards the panicked voice, I decided to hear her out.

"Yes, I'm listening, Miss Brandon."

I heard her sigh into the phone.

"Thank goodness," She sounded exasperated. "Mr. Cullen, I need your help. In only four days' time I will arrive at your house with another vampire. He needs to go into hiding to avoid the Volturi."

She must have known that I had some ties with the Volturi, but I couldn't figure out how she knew.

"Miss. Brandon, I find myself very interested in and have to ask, how do you know about my connections with the Volturi?" I asked her in a questioning tone.

"Mr. Cullen, sir, I have to go. I don't have much time. I have to find him."

There was an audible click and she was gone.

I stood there wordlessly for a few seconds, and quickly made my way to the brothers stating that I had an emergency and had to leave as soon as possible. Aro readily agreed that my coven came first and told me to let them know if I needed anything.

Four days went by and there was still no sign of Miss Brandon and her companion. I was beginning to become convinced that they wouldn't even come, but surely with as frantic as Miss Brandon sounded on the phone, they would be here.

I had called a family meeting and discussed it with the family, while Edward and Rosalie were skeptical; Esme and Emmett were fine with the newcomers joining us.

I could hear them as their feet kicked the dirt up along the barren road that led to the house.

"It's time," I smiled reassuringly at my small family, ushering them out into the yard to meet our guests.

Gently placing my arm around Esme's shoulder, I gave her another squeeze of reassurance. I watched as a tiny woman, no bigger than 5 feet tall, made her way up to my family. She smiled brightly and bounced on the balls of her feet.

That's when I noticed her companion. Our eyes locked in and we exchanged an understanding look as we nodded at each other. We stood there silently before Miss Brandon made a dash straight into my arms. Surprised by the intrusion of this stranger, I stood immobile with a semi-shocked look on my face.

I glanced over to my family who looked just as shocked as I was.

"Miss Brandon, I presume?" I asked, while awkwardly unhooking her arms out from around me. She stood back and smiled, nodding minutely at my presumption. I smiled back at her with a quizzical look on my face as the voice didn't match the image in my head that I had seen. I turned my head sharply as Edward scoffed at the image in my head.

"She doesn't match the description that you thought of, Carlisle." I shook my head, letting out a low chuckle, and returned my sight back over to the newcomers.

I watched as Miss Brandon made her way over to the one vampire I had met decades ago. I let my eyes wander up and down his form in remembrance of how lethal he actually was. I quickly cleared any thought of my past encounters with Jasper Whitlock before Edward had caught on.

A low growl escaped from Edward's lips and my head snapped back over to him.

"Son, what is it?"

"I can hear his thoughts..." he trailed off, narrowing his eyes towards Jasper.

"Edward, I'm sure there is an explanation for his thoughts," I said lowly while attempting to usher them into the small house. "Let's get all acquainted inside, shall we?"

I waited while I watched the others file into the house and stood back to let Jasper and Miss Brandon through before closing the door behind us.

I watched as each member of the family eyed the newcomers, particularly Edward, whose gaze never left Jasper.

"Miss Brand..." I started to say, but she cut me off.

"It is Alice, Mr. Cullen. And this," she said pulling her companion flush next to her. "This is my mate, Jasper Whitlock."

For decades, I watched as the tension went on within my family because of the secret that Jasper and I had kept locked away. I observed as the bonds grew between the siblings, especially between Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. It was natural for Edward and Alice to bond with her foresight and his mind reading. They had become quite close, even sometimes going as far as isolating themselves within their own group and relied on each other when the tension got extremely thick.

I sympathized with Jasper when I found out that he was an empath on our first hunt together. But he always managed to stay strong; I guess that was the warrior in him.

For all long as those long decades, Jasper and I held that one trusted secret close. The potentially disastrous secret that would eventually rip my family apart…the fact that we knew each other long ago.

*End Flashback* 

Today, here I stood, watching the bonds being formed over the decades break and reform again. It was still Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett, but now Edward and Alice had become two separate individuals, all over a newborn vampire and a web of lies and deceit.

I listened and stayed downwind, trying my best to not feel anything as Bella, Jasper, Peter and Char all talked quietly in a clearing north of the house in Forks. It was never my intention to eavesdrop on the Whitlocks, and it's not that I didn't trust any of them, but now that Bella was changed, I had to know where their loyalties were.

JPOV

I was sittin' there across from Bella, just watchin' her as she whispered 'Why me?'. I chuckled softly and lay down next to her.

"Darlin', this started long before ya were born. This actually started with ya grandparents," I stated. I watched as Bella frowned and the sadness swept into her emotions. "Look at me, Bella," I commanded softly.

Her eyes left the trees and she shifted her body towards mine, makin' eye contact briefly, before she closed them.

"I can't remember them, Jasper," she whispered.

I pulled her close and pushed out reassurance as I felt the wind shift. Bella's eyes snapped open as she scented the air. She leapt up, immediately in a defensive crouch, standin' and runnin' as quickly as Edward.

"Shit! Peter see if ya can circle around and catch her," I said pushin' myself faster through the wooded area. "I don't know if she scented another human or not, but somethin' has thrown her off. Char, you go opposite." I roared.

We all separated and I headed straight followin' Bella's scent closely. I pushed myself to my limits runnin' as I could when I heard a feral snarl escape someone's lips.

A few seconds later, I found Bella standing with her back to me and someone pinned up against a tree. I walked slowly around her and my eyes widened when I saw her teeth close to Carlisle's neck.

"Bella..." I said in a commanding tone.

She glanced at me and snarled as I heard Peter approachin'. Peter came out from behind the trees followed by Char just seconds later. Bella's emotions were all over the place, and I needed to stabilize her.

I took one step forward and locked my eyes on hers. Her low growl was warning me to stay back. I advanced again and the growl became deeper. Her weight shifted slightly and I took the opportunity to throw her off balance, roughly yanking her away from Carlisle.

"Bella ya don't wanna do this, darlin'," I said softly. I tried to manipulate her into a calmer state, but it just wasn't working. She had her shield up in seconds, so I couldn't manage to get ahold of her.

I watched, horrified, as she went past me with an incredible display of speed and agility. In seconds she had Carlisle in her clutches again. I heard her take a sharp breath, and then she whispered, 'This is Pride'.

She descended on his neck and bit down. She placed her hands on either side of his head and pulled.

I watched in shock as Bella tossed his head to the side like a sack of potatoes. I couldn't get my mind to understand why she had whispered about pride when it was Victoria that had left the note. Bella had literally decapitated the patriarch of The Cullens.

"Peter, Char, get Carlisle out of here." I roared as I pulled up my sleeves and bared my arms. A deafening' roar escaped Bella as I advanced. I could see her rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, while crouched. "I'm serious. She just tracked Carlisle; get him the fuck out of here."

I squared my stance as I felt my demeanor change. I breathed in deeply and fell over the edge of the cliff. I was no longer Jasper or the Major; I had now become the God of War.

A fierce snarl emitted from my chest as I no longer cared of the fact that this was Bella, my demon had taken over. I was ready to deal with an unskilled newborn. I had to force myself to remember that this was my mate and I would do anything to protect her, even if it was just from herself.

Protect your mate.

She is unskilled against me.

Protect your mate.

Remind her who is in control.

Protect your mate.

I demand respect.

I had lost the argument with myself as I snarled wildly at her.

"Stand up, Newbie..." I growled.

I watched as her eyes darkened. She was goin' to a place; a place where I couldn't even protect her. Groaning internally as the battle still raged at my goal of protecting her, I watched as her muscles coiled, just waiting for the moment to spring.

"If ya gonna do somethin', Newbie..." I growled again, my lips twisting into a cold smirk. "Give me ya best shot."

Snarling, she sprung at me. I braced myself as she approached me, but then she was gone. I listened closely for any sounds of movement, until I felt her hand on my neck before she plowed me into a tree.

I snarled as I felt the impact and the tree cave as we both went down. She reacted quickly as I shot up and ran at her. As unpredictable as a newborn was, she was just like the rest and I couldn't judge her intentions as I rushed forward. She snarled as she leapt in the air, crashing down on me like a rock sinking' to the bottom of the ocean.

With an audible gasp, unnecessary air was removed from my lungs. I grabbed her foot and sank my teeth through her jeans and into her ankle. She struggled to kick free as I pushed my venom into her. She landed a blow right to the side of my face and I felt it crack beneath the force.

I knew I needed to subdue her quickly before this got out of hand, but as quick as she was, I only had one option.

I released her ankle with a blow to her thigh from my fist and got to my feet. She stood there with a cold look on her face as I watched her closely.

"Make your move, Major..." she sneered as she stalked forward. "If you don't, I will. And there will be repercussions, Major."

I growled and crouched defensively as she stalked forward. I chuckled as she called me Major. Her eyes narrowed as she snarled and ran at me full speed. I let her impact push me back as I held tight to her arms and tossed her into a tree.

"Ya know, Newbie...you are gonna have to do better than that," I chuckled, rubbing my jaw in memory of the blow she gave me earlier. Simultaneously, we both jumped and collided with each other. My extra weight gave me an advantage, and I quickly grabbed a hold of her, sinking my teeth in her shoulder and pulling as we crashed to the ground. She snarled in my face as I ripped her arm off.

I flung her arm away from her body as she kicked at me, somehow managing to get some leverage she flipped us over and sank her teeth into my neck. I groaned in displeasure as I placed my hands on her face as I tried to remove her teeth from my neck. She clamped down harder, almost removing a chunk of my shoulder in the process. I could feel the burn begin to spread through my body as she pushed her venom into me. The heat licked at my veins like I was changing all over again.

"Little girl, you've have already lost one limb. I suggest ya remove ya teeth if ya don't want to lose another one," I said as I felt the excess venom from Bella's bite trail down the back of my neck.

She growled while clamped down on my neck and I groaned at the displeasure that I hadn't felt in a long time with a newborn. I wrapped my arms securely around her chest and tightened them. The cracking of her bones seemed to get her attention, and her grip slackened on my neck.

I quickly threw her off, running as I kept pace with her airborne body, gripping her by the other arm as I pulled her close. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I grabbed her chin and yanked it aside to expose her neck. I sunk my teeth into her neck, clamping down hard, and push my venom into her. I gripped her tighter as she struggled. I sent out a dose of fear towards her as she snarled. Her hands began to frantically search me for every possible way to get away. Feeling her struggle underneath my touch, I realize that my actions with my mate had gone too far.

"Ya won't get anywhere doin' that, Bella," I whispered in her ear as she struggled against my grip.

I watched as her shoulders slumped and she let out an unneeded breath, finally admitting defeat. The tension that was just there, coiling beneath the surface, has now slipped away.

"What the hell just happened?" She whispered as her head bowed and her hair became a curtain to hide her face.

I could feel the shame rolling off of her as I let my arms fall from her waist. I turned her around and gently placed my finger under her chin to have her meet my gaze. I searched her features as I opened myself to her emotions again and I knew that she regretted something.

"Darlin', that was ya instincts takin' over. What did ya feel ya needed to protect, though?" I said as I looked in her eyes.

Her eyes fell towards the ground as she stifled the sob in her chest.

"Jasper, just take me home, please," she begged.

I swiftly picked her up and cradled her to my chest, running full speed to the comfort of the Cullen's home.

PPOV

The images flickered there in my head for what seemed like ages.

Bella.  
Victoria.  
Bella.  
Edward.  
Victoria.  
Alice.  
Bella.  
Esme.  
Bella.  
Rosalie.  
Victoria.  
Bella.  
Emmett.  
Bella.  
Victoria.  
Jasper.  
Bella.  
Char.  
Bella.  
Victoria.  
Carlisle.  
Bella.  
Me...

I groaned and palmed my face. How in the fuck was I supposed to make sense of those flickers of people's faces? It was beyond irritating that that was all I saw. The only thing I could think of was the battle that was about to come. The Volturi were patiently waitin' for this to happen, stayin' in the shadows and huntin' the streets in Seattle.

"Sweets, is somethin' botherin' ya?" Char asked me, bringin' me out of my thoughts.

I nodded lookin' at her as I quickly thought of the images again.

"I just don't get it, Sugar. I keep seein' these flashes of everyone," I said as I placed Carlisle's head atop his body. "It doesn't make any sense. I've never seen somethin' like this before. It's always been that I've just known and it's never been anythin' else."

I sighed, thinkin' that I had to make some sense out of what has been seen.

"Sug, ya ain't Alice. Ya can't see the future based on decision, ya only see what will happen in the end," she said with assurance.

I couldn't believe that all of a sudden I had felt like I was Alice. I didn't see the future based on indecisive actions; I only ever saw the outcome. I had reassured Char that everythin' would be fine. And now, with everythin' that I had seen in the flashes, I was unsure.

"Sugar, I don't know what this is tellin' me and I can only think of the battle, but somethin' is naggin' at me that it's not what it seems," I replied, feelin' unsure about my gift for the first time in over what seemed like a hundred years. "I'm gonna have to talk to Jas about this."

She nodded but left the conversation open to discussion. That is what I loved about Char- she never pushed me. She just let it go and in time it would tell. I heard her snicker and watched as she covered her mouth.

"What is it, Sugar?" I asked as I looked at her and raised my eyebrow in question.

"It just seems odd that Bella would dismember Carlisle. She has always seen him as family, even when she was human," she said as she shrugged off the thought.

"Yeah, I agree. Somethin' just doesn't seem right, though," I said, givin' a quizzical look at Char.

I watched as she made her way around the Cullens living room, pickin' up stuff idly and rearrangin' it in a way that reminded me of our place in Texas. I smiled at the thought.

"She has a tracking ability, Peter," she said as she picked up the abandoned books from the coffee table.

"So, ya think she was trackin' Carlisle," I said, rubbin' my hands down my face. "It makes sense after what happened in Edward's bedroom and then out in the woods, Char. Jasper had even said it as Bella took off and we both even mentioned it as I watched her leap out the window."

She nodded in response as I found myself deep in thought again.

I replayed the images in my head. It just didn't seem to make sense that she would track the Cullen's, but I didn't know how Victoria came into the picture. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I heard Jasper approach. I watched as he walked in the back door with Bella cradled to his chest.

He nodded and made his way up to his room with her.

"Char, sugar..." I said as I stood to make my way upstairs. "Keep an eye on Carlisle, will ya?"

She smiled gently and nodded.

CharPOV

I watched as Peter made his way upstairs and to Jasper and my thoughts went to what I had experienced in the forest. It doesn't make any sense that Bella would track Carlisle. She had nothin' to fear when it came to him. I idly picked up around the living room, hoping that Esme wouldn't mind. I was a neat freak and if it wasn't in its place then I would go back around and switch it again.

JPOV

I laid Bella out on our bed, for once feeling exhausted from what had happened. She tried her best to maintain a newborn status. Once again, her actions were like she was human again. I watched as she laid there with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, except with no heartbeat. Her inner strength had faltered during the fight when she felt like she cared. Her protective instinct took a back seat, but when she was protecting me, she went to a place that I couldn't even understand. If I had returned to my past memories to become the God of War, where had she returned to become who she was when I was fighting her?

I lay next to her, silently wondering if anything would become clearer to me as I turned my body to face Bella.

I thought back to the last few hours and nothing made sense. I replayed the memories in my head of Bella tracking Carlisle, my ability to control the fight, and I've never felt as confused as I did just then. The whole situation had become mind boggling to me. She has a tracking ability but she only went after Carlisle. Why didn't she go after the whole family? I didn't know the answers, but I sure as fuck wanted them.

"Darlin', I need ya to come out of whatever it is what is keepin' ya isolated and away from me," I said, exhaustion thickening my voice. "I don't know what happened back there, but I need to know." I said, sounding desperate.

She shifted in my arms, but didn't say a word. I don't know what was blocking her out from me feeling her, but whatever it was must have been significant.

I listened as there was a slight tap on the door. I smelled Peter even before he approached. I groaned in disbelief as I thought about what my brother had thought about the whole situation. I growled in response and watched as the door opened slowly to reveal Peter's outline. He clearly let out a sigh of relief.

"Peter, what is it?" I asked stroking Bella's jaw line.

"Jas, I don't know what is goin' on..." He hesitated, before makin' his way to the corner of the room. "Somethin' isn't right. I feel like I'm Alice."

I raised an eyebrow in question. It was never like Peter to second guess his gift.

"I just don't know, Jas..." He paused, as he put his hands behind his back and shifted from foot to foot.

I have never seen Peter so unsure of himself in all our years together. I tried to put the pieces together throughout the night, but it didn't make sense.

Bella had attacked me even with the mating bond.  
She tracked Carlisle and dismembered him.  
Peter was having messed up intuition.

Something wasn't right as I sighed and looked at Bella again. The only thing I could think of that offered a possible explanation to the last few hours was her gift.

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Jacksper2010


	9. Suspicious Minds

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Oh holy shit! I've actually updated and as some of you may have noticed, the title and summary have changed. I assure you, the content has not. For my lame and pathetic excuse for not posting, look in my profile as it has finally been updated. A big thanks to HeavyInfinity for the suggestions and beta work. She works her tail off with encouragement to back me up on this. And secondly another thank you to TheOneMama for being my pre-reader. I think she squealed just as much as I did after I wrote it. I hope the wait has been worth it and justice will finally be served…

BPOV  
My emotions swirled inside of me as I laid there while Jasper reattached my arm. I silently assessed what happened today. I remember sitting there with Jasper talking about how they had known the whole damn time. They all knew that this was a life I was destined for and was I pissed. I wanted nothing more than to rip each and every one of them apart for keeping that secret from me. I wasn't sure where such a brutal feeling was coming from. I had dismissed it at first, but after tracking Carlisle, it was different. I knew that Jasper was my mate, but something fundamentally had shifted. I was no longer this… newborn; I was someone or something else entirely. Then I lapsed into this state. I don't really know what happened, just that I was laying here while Jasper put me back together. I felt him readjust his position on the bed and curling into me. He begged me to talk to him to tell him what I was thinking. I turned my back to him and settled into his embrace.

"Bella, are ya okay?" he asked. I could hear his words but I couldn't seem to focus. I was so lost in thought, and oddly I felt quite human in that moment.

"Bella?" he asked me again, as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"Hmm…" I responded, snapping back to reality.

"You're all fixed up," he paused, before continuing, "Darlin, where in the world did ya just go?"

I looked at him over my shoulder and closed my eyes, letting out the unneeded breath that I had been holding.

"Jasper, I don't remember what really happened out there. I just..." I couldn't seem to find the right words to express what I had experienced.

"Bella," he sighed. "I don't know either; all I know is that ya went to some place I couldn't bring ya back. I could feel the shift in ya and I could do nothing to stop it." he looked over at Peter. I watched him give a curt nod. "I couldn't control your emotions cause ya had your shield up and I..." he trailed off as he lightly brushed his fingertips over the new scar on my shoulder.

"You what, Jasper?" I asked as I sat up grabbing his hand and lacing his fingers with mine. "Jas, talk to me."

He looked upset about something and it was upsetting me as well. He gazed at me, but it was like he was looking right through me. He squared his shoulders as he cleared his throat.

"I had to go back to when it was easy to make a newborn submit, but ya wouldn't," he finished.

It was easy for me to hear that flow from his lips, but, it no way was in a way relief. My emotions were running in high gear and I knew it was because I was a newborn. I couldn't find the ease that I thought I would find being wrapped in Jasper's arms. His voice was not soothing the mixed emotions that rapidly cycled through my body.

"What happened?" I asked him softly.

"Ya want the truth?" he asked, leaving the question hanging in the air.

I simply nodded. I needed to know.

"Ya tracked and dismembered Carlisle and you nearly took my head off," he stated calmly.

"I WHAT?" I screamed as I let go of his hand and flitted across the room towards Peter and Char.

"Darlin', that's what happened. Do ya want me to sugar coat it for ya?" he asked as he rose from the bed. 

"Where is Carlisle? I need to see him," I said, pushing through Peter and Char as if they were a piece of silk and I was the sword.

I was downstairs in a moment's notice, just in time to see Carlisle rising from the couch. I stood there and eyed him up and down waiting for whatever limb I had removed to fall off again.

"Bella," he said, clearing his throat.

My eyes snapped to meets his, and that unknown feeling returned. A low growl escaped my lips and I clamped my hand over my mouth to cover it. He chuckled as my eyes widened. There was that feeling again, boiling deep inside as I stared at Carlisle. The shift had registered, like a puzzle piece slipping into place. I knew that I had to make a show of my newborn stature and smiled beneath my hand.

"Bella, it's quite alright," he said, stepping toward me. "You recognize your family and to you I am a threat to them. It's perfectly alright to feel like that."

I nodded as I looked over my shoulder to find Jasper, Peter, and Char making their way down the stairs. Char smiled gently at me as I took a step back.

"Darlin', why don't ya take a seat and we can explain some of this to ya?" Jasper asked, as he took a seat on the arm of the empty chair.

I shrugged as I distanced myself from them and walked to the window, looking through the glass as though I had missed some minute detail that this new life had given me. I had questioned everything that I remembered from my former life as I listened to Jasper rambling about what happened before my time as a vampire. I shook my head slightly because, quite honestly, I didn't give a fuck what my grandparents had to do with it now. My past was my past and I couldn't change it, but I refused to sit here and wait for my past to catch up with me.

I growled quietly as I took in every scent that swirled around the living room of my former family. They were no longer my family; I was a Whitlock. And the Whitlock's name stood for strength, power, and no mercy. I would show my former family no mercy as I thought back to Edward and his childish games. He drew me into this world and now I had no way of escaping. And then there was Alice; I couldn't wait to get started on that future seeing bitch. I knew why she let Jasper go and it wasn't just about the mate thing either. It was her only alternative considering she knew that I wasn't going to let the Cullens slip out of my life. I shook my head because I didn't want pity for the life I was brought into; after all it was Jasper's venom that was now running through my hardened body, and the Whitlock's were not a family to pity.

I chuckled, ignoring Jasper as he called out to me. I thought of Jasper's other persona, the Major. He was a fucking pansy and he tried to protect me from Edward. I had used the Major well in my plan. The stupid fucks couldn't see deception if it hit them square in the eye. I didn't want protection, I wanted my life back. I didn't want Jasper or the Major as my mate; I wanted the God of fucking War. If I had that stupid, pathetic, emo fuck hanging around, I would never get to my goal. I wanted to destroy everything the Cullens built, everything they stood for. One by one, I would destroy them all, starting with the weakest link, and that was Jasper. I pulled the broken crest out of my pocket and held it up to the window, watching as the sun reflected off of it.

"Strength, power, and no mercy," I whispered as I continued to watch the amulet.

I thought back to the night I had to take Charlie's life and snarled. If Edward hadn't put me in the position with Victoria, I wouldn't have had to make such a brutal choice and take the life of my father. Edward would regret every choice he ever made to gain power over me in my human life.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I growled.

"Sug, ya need to relax a bit. Jas is a mess," Peter stated, as I turned around letting my eyes wander past his shoulder to see Jasper pacing back and forth and growling. I rolled my eyes and pushed past Peter, thinking of how stupid these vampires really were. As I thought before, Jasper was showing just how clueless he actually was.

Mates, that should say it all, you would think. If I wanted to get what I knew the Cullens deserved, I would no longer shut myself out from Jasper's empathy. I would fuel it until I had my mate again, my God of War. I smirked as I turned my head slightly to see Carlisle. Brushing my hair behind my ear as I got closer to him, I mouthed the word "pride" at him as I pushed out my anger towards Jasper. His stature became rigid as I heard Jasper snarl.

Walking up to Jasper, I placed my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to stop and look at me. I grinned wide as I looked into his eyes and saw the blackened state of them. It fueled my thoughts of destroying the weakest link in the family. It was way too easy for me to manipulate Jasper's emotions since I was his mate. I stared into his eyes, I losing more of my humanity that I had only felt minutes ago when I was lying on the bed.

"We have to figure out what Victoria is up to," Peter said bringing me out of my state. I nodded and stepped away from Jasper. "The Volturi are waiting in Seattle for word from us."

"Do you have the note?" I asked Peter.

I kept my face blank of any emotions as I watched Char dig the note out of her pocket, open it, and place it on the coffee table. Walking over and scanning my eyes over it, I remembered back to when I had written it, the night I had taken my father's life. I had scrawled it quickly on the paper and made sure that Charlie's blood was on it before shoving it into my back pocket. The variable in this equation was _me_ and these stupid fucks think that it was Victoria. _My deception,_ I thought as I raised my eyes to meet Carlisle's. Yes, she had been there to kill Charlie and she wanted me to suffer for the loss of her mate. But I wanted the Cullens to suffer as I suffered the loss of my humanity. I wanted them to think of how each one of them had stepped on 'human' Bella. I wanted them to suffer as I tore their coven apart piece by piece, starting with Jasper.

_Bella,_

_For the one crime you have committed, you will bring death upon your beloveds. Each has sinned, yet all in a very different manner, and all their souls shall be punished for eternity._

_Carlisle-your coven's ability to overcome our natural food source has caused you to think your coven is on a pedestal-this is Pride._

_Esme-you long for things that others have-this is Envy._

_Edward-you desire to consume more than what you are destined for-this is Gluttony._

_Emmett-you desire the flesh of your mate-this is Lust._

_Jasper-your fury hath no end-this is Anger._

_Alice-you see the future and change possible outcome for your own ends-this is Greed._

_Rosalie-your desire for beauty consumes your thoughts making you idle -this is Sloth._

_As for Chief Swan, he paid the ultimate price just for being your blood, my dear sweet Bella. Now, I have taken one of your beloveds…the rest will soon follow._

_See you in Hell…_

Again, I thought back to when I was human and the little speeches that I gave to each of the family member and the private talk I had with Jasper. I had planned and carefully executed, under the watchful eye of the future seeing bitch, every detail from the time I went to Texas in search of answers about Jasper. Then, I used Victoria as my excuse to kill Charlie, and finally, tangling my secret with Alice's web of lies. I smiled internally at my actions, I was one twisted bitch. I shook the thoughts away as I looked back over to Jasper. Crossing my arms over my chest, I returned my attention back onto the paper and scanned it quickly, stopping at Jasper's name. I bowed my head, using my hair as a curtain to hide my grin. _Well, let's see your fury, Jasper. Let's see how far I have to push my mate to destroy the weakest link. _

I had omitted Jasper from the speech for a reason. After finding out just who Alice was playing for, I used the lies she told as my ground to stand on, my reason for the private talk with Jasper. I had planted the seed of him returning to Texas and doubting his struggle with The Cullen's way of life. This family had become my chess board, and I was the queen, sitting back and playing the pawns. Bringing my head back up, I quickly scanned the room and stopped at Peter. The look of confusion on his face had me laughing inside.

"Peter, is there something wrong?" I asked him.

"I don't get it," he growled in frustration.

"Get what?" I asked, as I raised my brow.

"The flickerin' of the images in my head," he sighed. "I see you, the Cullens, includin' Jasper, plus myself and Char. I just can't put it together."

I shook my head as I broke my eye contact with Peter. _Well, this is new,_ I thought as I chuckled at towards him.

"So, your brain isn't functioning correctly now?" I laughed, laughed to his forehead.

He took a step forward and growled.

"It was a fucking joke, Peter." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "It was just a fucking joke."

I watched as Char placed her hand gently on Peter's forearm, stopping him from going any further. Shrugging as I turned back to Jasper, I smiled softly and walked over to him to kiss his cheek. I was playing the part of the confused newborn now.

"Jasper, I can't seem to get my thoughts together," I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist. Resting my forehead against his chest, I breathed deeply and sighed. I felt him relax under my embrace and I smiled. The weakest link was back.

CPOV

I watched as Bella made those taunting remarks to Peter. I thought back to only a few moments ago, when she looked at me the way she did. I was confused with the gleam in her eye, as she mouthed those words to me had me fearful to an extent. She was not the sweet, shy, and eventually strong willed Bella that I remembered. The change had shifted something in her and I had an ominous feeling it wasn't going to be something any one of us would live through. I began to question exactly what had happened during her change and if there was something that she wasn't telling us.

I watched as she became the calm in the raging war inside of Jasper. He no longer projected as much and he seemed settled to an extent. The way they moved together, highlighting the mating bond; they were like one. They were functioning as a single unit and I had never seen something like that. I shook my head and ghosted silently up to my study.

Sitting down behind my desk, I poured over the memories as they focused in my head, flipping faster than I had wanted them too. The revolver, the note, and Victoria all stuck out in my mind, but none of it made sense. I continued to think about Bella's actions downstairs as Jasper was explaining how everything fit together.

"The crest," I whispered, as I slammed my hands down on my desk, hearing it crack underneath the pressure.

Something else was missing from the whole situation though. Standing abruptly, I blurred back downstairs to find Peter and Char talking quietly about the situation.

"Peter," I said, clearing my throat.

He raised his eyes to meet mine.

"Yeah, we were just havin' a bit of a chat about earlier," he said, as he gestured between him and Char.

I nodded as I walked over, settling myself in the chair as I thought very briefly on how to approach the subject.

"Peter, what is happening with your gift?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he said, reaching out and grabbing Char's hand. "Usually I just know shit, like where to go, who to talk to, and the end result so to speak."

"How have they been since Bella's change?" I asked him.

"Awful. It's like a high speed slide show of just images goin' through my head. I just keep gettin' theses flashes of everyone. There is really no significant factor to any of the images though. The only constant is Bella," he sighed, as he rested his head on the back of the couch. "That's all I know, man."

I nodded and looked out the windows towards tree line in the back of the house. Again, something had not been right with Bella. It was nagging at me that something was missing. There was a puzzle piece that didn't quite seem to fit anywhere. I adjusted the unknown piece in my mind as I continued to stare out into the darkness. It was the little edge of the piece that didn't seem to fit.

"She is his calm; he is her war," I whispered.

I turned my head as I heard Peter hiss loudly.

"What did ya just say?" he growled, quickly coming to his feet.

"Your gift, Peter. The constant factor is Bella," I said, as I rose from the chair and made my way over to the windows. "She is his calm; he is her war."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Ol' Man?" he hissed.

"What I mean, Peter," I said as I turned back to him. "Is that we watch our step around, Bella. They are like magnets. She moves, he moves with her. Her change ignited something within Jasper, and I have no idea what it is."

"I don't get what the fuck ya mean," he said, as he turned back and offered his hand to Char, pulling her up. "Explain what the hell this cryptic shit is before I lose it."

I growled at him.

"Sit down, young man. I don't have the patience to deal with childish threats from someone like you."

He laughed and then snarled at me.

"And you think I have the patience for someone who has their head stuck so far up their ass that he forgets he is a vampire? Ya are not a fuckin' human and ya never will be."

I stalked over to him and pointed to the couch.

"If you want to hear me out, Peter," I said, pointing roughly at the couch again, "I suggest you sit the fuck down and listen."

"Fine, I'll listen to your stupidity about puzzles, calm, and war," he huffed as he pulled Char down onto his lap. "But after ya are done, I need to take my mate huntin'."

I sighed, shaking my head, and walked back over to the windows, waiting for Jasper and Bella to reappear out of nowhere.

"I've never seen anyone who is mated move the way they do. While Jasper was sitting there explaining how you had known decades ago; I watched from the sidelines; especially paying attention to Bella. Jasper's movements mirrored hers. Her emotions would rise and so did his. If she remained calm then so would he. You guys were so wrapped up in your story that you were not watching her movements," I turned to him and raised my brow in question. "Did you happen to hear what she said when she was watching the pendant?"

"He's an empath, Ol' Man, or did ya not get the memo?" Peter growled at me. "Of course his emotions are goin' to be affected by hers."

"Did you hear what she said as she was watching the pendant?" I repeated as I ignored his statement.

He shook his head in response.

"She said something about strength, power, and no mercy," I offered. "Do you know what that statement means, Peter?"

"I ain't ever heard of it before. Not even Jas has said something like that to me," he said shrugging his shoulders at me.

"I know Jasper is an empath, Peter," I said walking back over to the chair and sitting down. "That fact has not escaped me. But I think whatever Bella saw in that pendant today shifted something inside her. Which in turn it shifted something inside Jasper. I don't know what it is and I have a feeling we don't want to find out. Those words that she spoke echoed in my head long after she said them. Bella's words were war-like, Peter, the cold, hard, truth of what she really thinks the Whitlock name stands for."

"What about the puzzle pieces that you keep talkin' about?" he said, waving his hand around the room.

"There is something that Bella is not telling us," I said, shaking my head. "At least that is my deduction. There is a piece of the puzzle that doesn't quite fit when it comes to the situation with Victoria. I wonder why Victoria would leave Charlie alive for Bella to find." I stood and made my way over to the coffee table and picked up the note, pointing to the section where Victoria had written about Charlie. "But here in the note, she states that she took Charlie's life. It doesn't make any sense. And furthermore, why would Bella have the revolver if Charlie was already dead when she got there?"

"Okay, so, we need to talk to Bella about what happened with Charlie then," he stated. "And get the truth from her. If she did kill Charlie, then what does it have to do with the note?"

"I don't know, Peter. I haven't a clue what the note has to do with it and why she would tell us that Victoria wrote it."

"No clue, Ol' Man, none at all," he said standing and cradling Char to his chest. "Now that ya have got my wheels turnin', I would like to take my mate for a hunt."

BPOV

I listened just beyond the tree line as Jasper and I made our way back from the hunt. I shook my head as Jasper tried to pull me out into the open. I pointed to the spot we were standing at and pressed my finger against my lips.

"Bella, we need to get back in there so ya can clear things up with the family," he stated firmly. "And besides, I would like the answers too. I want to know what happened that night with Charlie."

I growled lowly and shook my head.

"Jasper, I didn't have a choice that night. I had to pull the trigger," I whispered. "Charlie would have bled out if I didn't."

"And the note, Bella, what about the note?" he questioned, as his eyes narrowed at me.

"Victoria wrote the note, Jasper. I believe her intention was for me to walk in and find Charlie dead already." I sighed heavily and lowered my head. "But that is not what happened. I walked in and found him bleeding out right there at the kitchen table."

"But when this first started, Bella," he said, as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against his body. "Ya said that ya saw him just sittin' there. I just don't get it, Bella. Why would ya hide that from us?"

I buried my emotions deep and pushed a false sense of security at Jasper as he held me. There was truth to the tale that I had spun. I did kill Charlie and I didn't mind them knowing that. The note on the other hand was the key to my success at destroying the Cullens. As I heard the front door shut, I frowned and pulled away from Jasper.

"Jasper, I was scared. I had just killed my father and I knew Victoria was still after me." I sighed dramatically and began to play my part as the memories fluttered across my mind. "She would eventually find me and do the same. I wouldn't be able to beg for mercy at her hands. I had no choice, Jasper."

Pulling him along as I walked through the yard and to the back door, I pushed it open and stared at Carlisle as I continued towards the stairs. He was getting a little too close for comfort about the note. I was going to have to work quickly and get Jasper to return to his roots, his true self. I smirked as I thought of how easy it was for Jasper to fall into my plan. _What a poor excuse for an empath; he was weak_, I thought.


End file.
